Confronted with the difficult task of scoring away from home in the second leg against Houston, Seattle Sounders FC know they must improve on their offensive effort after the scoreless first game. Fresh off the bone-jarring first match against the Dynamo, the club has been practicing quick ball movement in practice to try to create more scoring opportunities by getting out in front of Houston's challenges.
According to rookie Steve Zakuani, drills that focus on quick one- and two-touch passing have featured prominently in this week's training sessions as Seattle tries to increase the speed of play.
"I think we just have to move the ball," said Zakuani. "Against that kind of team, if you keep the ball too long they get on you, they get guys back and you lose it.
"They are physical, they're strong, but if the ball is moving they commit a lot of fouls. Move the ball, keep the game flowing and we should be fine."
Passing will be at a premium on the smaller playing surface at Houston's Roberston Stadium, which measures 115 yards by 70 yards, five yards narrower than most fields. Taking out that much real estate generally leads to a more compressed match with more physical challenges, something that suits the Dynamo's style.
However, Seattle is taking confidence from the fact that it was able to win on the road on a similarly-sized field in Kansas City in the penultimate game of the regular season. Sounders FC also played well offensively in Houston earlier in the season in Houston, creating several chances before earning a valuable road point in the 1-1 draw.
"Our passing was not as sharp as it normally is and that's something that is important on a small pitch," said designated player Freddie Ljungberg. "At the same time, the grass on the field down there when we played last time was amazing, one of the top ones we played at."
In the first playoff game, Houston found good success breaking up Seattle's attacks with physical play, committing 18 fouls to Seattle's six. Seattle responded by generating most of its offense from set pieces, failing to find a goal but creating some nervous moments for Houston's defense.
Ljungberg provided some excellent free kicks, but the Sounders FC offense could not put the chances into the back of the net.
"We played a lot of set pieces and maybe we should have scored on some," said Ljungberg.
While they want to keep the game flowing, Seattle players believe there is only so much that can be done. Even though Houston committed three times the number of fouls in the first leg, each team received three yellow cards, a statistic Schmid noted in his post-game press conference.
Both teams will be eager to gauge the mood of the referee early in Sunday's game. A stricter referee would figure to aid Seattle while a referee who lets some challenges go would seem to favor the bigger Dynamo.
Since Seattle's offense is predicated on finesse players like Fredy Montero and Ljungberg, getting a referee who will punish tactical fouls with yellow cards with more regularity could make Seattle's life easier.
For his part, Ljungberg is ready to move on.
"I think there has been so much talk of refereeing after the game and everybody that saw it knows the facts," Ljungberg said. "There is nothing I need to dwell on and talk about. Now we are just looking forward to the next game."
Andrew Winner is a contributor to MLSnet.com
