When the Seattle Sounders host the Vancouver Whitecaps on June 29 (7 p.m. PT; JOEtv, YouTube TV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM; TICKETS), the match will mark the midway point of the 2019 season. The team got off to its best start to a season through the first two months, but a slew of injuries and national team call-ups saw the team drop three straight matches entering the international break.
“[It’s been] mixed results,” Sounders Head Coach Brian Schmetzer said after training on Tuesday. “We started off [the season] great. Today, when we were doing our 11-v-11 game, I stressed to the team: Do you remember the first five games of the year? Do you remember how we started off on the front foot and we were able to get on top of teams early? That’s what we’ve got to try and emulate when we start the second season off against Vancouver.”
Here are 11 stats that tell the story of the first half of the 2019 season.
4: Halfway through the campaign, right back Kelvin Leerdam has found the back of the net four times, which matches Chad Marshall’s 2018 haul for most goals scored in a single season by a defender.
-3.81:
For the second straight season,
Stefan Frei
leads all MLS goalkeepers in GA – xGA with a figure of -3.81. This means that, based on the quality and volume of shots he’s faced, the Sounders should have conceded almost four more goals on the season if not for Frei’s individual heroics. According to
American Soccer Analysis
, the Sounders goalkeeper has registered a negative GA – xGA every season since 2015, illustrating his remarkable quality and consistency.
0: Unbeaten in eight matches, the Sounders have turned CenturyLink Field into a fortress this season, posting a 6-0-2 record.
55: The Sounders are on pace to score 55 goals this season, which would be the third-best haul from a single season, trailing only 2011 and ’14.
Jordan Morris celebrates his second goal against FC Cincinnati | Mike Fiechtner
.37: Through 12 appearances in 2019, Jordan Morris has already tallied four goals, taking his Goals Per 90 minutes average to .37. It appears the Homegrown forward has recaptured the form from his 2016 Rookie of the Year campaign, when he posted a rate of .38 Goals Per 90 en route to the club’s first MLS Cup and the 2016 Rookie of the Year award.
439: On May 22, Sounders stalwart Chad Marshall announced his retirement from professional soccer. The three-time MLS Defender of the Year finished his career with 439 MLS appearances across the regular season and playoffs, 175 of which were in Rave Green. During his tenure in the Pacific Northwest, Marshall guided the team to the 2014 Supports’ Shield, 2014 U.S. Open Cup, 2016 MLS Cup win and 2017 Western Conference Championship.
6:RaĂşl RuidĂaz leads all Sounders in goals scored this season with six. The Peruvian poacher is averaging .84 Goals Per 90 across all competitions since joining the Rave Green on June 29, 2018.
16: On April 9, Sounders Homegrown midfielder Danny Leyva became the youngest First Team signing in club history. And on June 5, the 16-year-old prospect became the youngest player in club history to make his MLS debut, coming on as a substitute in the team’s match against the Montreal Impact.
8: Uruguayan midfielder Nicolás Lodeiro leads all Sounders with eight assists this season, which is tied for the third-highest total in MLS.
26: The Sounders have 26 points through 16 matches to start the season, their best start to a campaign since they recorded 29 points through 16 matches in 2015.
28: Sounders center back Kim Kee-hee is in a rich vein of form this season, tallying 28 interceptions. A cerebral, aggressive defender, Kim is averaging two interceptions per match in his second season with the club.
