FRISCO, Texas – Much of the talk coming into the Western Conference semifinal matchup of the MLS Cup Playoffs, presented by AT&T, between the Seattle Sounders and FC Dallas centered around the potency of Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins.
The Sounders strike partnership had combined for 32 goals and 23 assists heading into Sunday’s game at Toyota Stadium. But after Dempsey and Martins were held off the scoresheet in the 1-1 draw, the second time this season they’ve been blanked by FCD, a lot of the credit went to team captain Matt Hedges and the defense.
Which team will win leg 2?
They’ll have to once again be at the top of their game heading into the second leg Monday at Seattle’s CenturyLink Field (10:30 pm ET; NBCSN, get tickets here).
“I think me and Zach [Loyd], the back four and the two midfielders have been good,” Hedges said. “We’ve been communicating well. I don’t think anything will change.”
Hedges shared some insight into how the Dallas defense shut down one of the best attacking pairs in MLS after the game Sunday, which put FCD in a hole of sorts heading into the second leg, based on the away goals tiebreaker. Seattle’s lone goal came from a free kick served into the area by Marco Pappa in the 54th minute, headed home by Osvaldo Alonso.
“[Dempsey and Martins] have a good connection, so we knew that when one of them gets the ball they are immediately looking for the other one,” Hedges said. “Keeping that in mind made us pretty successful. They’re looking to play together all the time, so we just tried to take that away from them.”
That teamwork was on display in highlight-reel fashion in right at the stroke of halftime, when goalkeeper Raul Fernandez stoned Martins, and Hedges cleared the rebound off the line before an onrushing Dempsey could slam it home. FCD head coach Oscar Pareja singled out the 24-year-old Hedges for both his individual play on Sunday but also his leadership throughout the season in serving as team captain.
“Matt keeps growing, taking the leadership when we need him,” Pareja said. “That play showed what he represents to this club and the group. The commitment not just to do the job but to do the small things, something that is special in that moment. He came up and was big for us.”
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For his part, Hedges singled out his developing central-defense partnership with Loyd, who moved in from right back, as a key to settling down what had been a run of various partners throughout the year.
“Zach has been brilliant,” Hedges said. “It’s not easy playing right back the whole year and then moving into center back. It feels pretty natural for him. He stepped right in and has done really well. Our communication has been excellent. It shows on the field.”
Loyd told reporters after Sunday’s match that the team is confident they can get the necessary result in Seattle to advance.
“I don’t think we need to do anything different,” Loyd said. “We came out and played very well. With that mentality and work rate going into Seattle, we can come away with a victory.”
