SEATTLE – With Clint Dempsey and Jordan Morris off on US national team duty, the Seattle Sounders have leaned on their depth players over their last two matches.
And after a disappointing loss at Columbus midweek, those players came through in Sunday’s 1-0 victory against the Houston Dynamo.
Among the standouts, Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said, was 19-year-old fullback Nouhou Tolo, who made his second first-team appearance of the season. In 41 minutes off the bench, he showed flashes of the raw skill and athleticism that influenced the Sounders to sign him off their USL squad, Sounders 2, before the season.
“Our mantra is that the next guy has to step up,” Schmetzer said. “I would say Nouhou Tolo [stepped up in this game]. … Here’s a young kid that hadn’t really played [much] for the first team and did a good job. So I think that depth is coming along.”
Schmetzer also praised midfielder Aaron Kovar, who made his first MLS appearance since Oct. 16 of last year. The 23-year-old has been sidelined for much of the last year, first with a broken collarbone, then with a groin injury.
“He was ready to play,” Schmetzer said of Kovar. “I love Aaron because he’s a competitor. He’s going at guys. He wants to make a difference. I think that’s a testament to his character and he came in and made a difference.
“He wasn’t 100 percent Aaron Kovar, he was a little rusty. But he certainly came in and made a strong impact on this game so that’s a good thing.”
Although Dempsey and Morris were out, the Sounders did field a first-choice backline for the first time in 2017 on Sunday, something goalkeeper Stefan Frei said helped solidify Seattle’s defense and assist a shorthanded offense.
“It was nice to get some veterans [in the backline] back today,” said Frei. “We have quite a few guys who are capable of slotting into different positions and I think getting some guys back in the back four allowed us to move Gustav [Svensson] a little higher which allowed us to incorporate him more into the offense, which he’s pretty good at.
“Obviously I think we want to score some more goals but nonetheless that’s our third shutout at home [in a row] and a good result for us.”
