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Seattle Sounders review

Part one of my posts leading up to the game against Columbus Crew. I will preview what the team needs to do to come back from two straight losses for our game on Thursday night. This was my first game that I missed this season and I watched it on a stream, so pardon me if some details escape me.

This past Saturday Red Bull New York experienced its first home loss. Prior to this game, Red Bull Arena was looked at as an impenetrable fortress that teams were worried about. The arena tends to be very loud even with limited attendance and the team just seems to play to the crowd. This past Saturday saw the team completely out played for the full 90 minutes and Bouna Coundoul continue his inconsistency as keeper. While he did stop three shots on goal, he gave up the near post in order to cheat the far post. This is just poor box control.

I don't want to take away from the Sounders because they played an amazing game, but the Red Bulls never got off. The defense was actually the one bright spot for our team as they held Seattle to four shots on goal, which while not an amazing feat on paper, is a great stat when watching the game live.

The midfield continues to be the weak spot for the team. Joel Lindpere was forced to play back due to the poor passing and never got to be the offensive midfielder that has been so effective this season. Ubiparipovic slowing down play was the highlight considering that the team rarely had to possession of the ball.

The biggest gripe though was the continued poor play of Salou and Juan Pablo Angel. This won't be a popular statement but Salou just never had that killer instinct, even when he had the defense beat in the first half and he continues to foul. Angel has four goals on the season, but he's been more effective on penalty kicks than inside the box. He's grown frustrated with the team's play and seems slower than in previous seasons. He just seems all around disinterested in the season. Going forward, I would like to see Conor Chinn in the starting line up. Younger players tend to play with a hunger that veterans lose in the tail-end of their careers. He may be able to breath some new life into a stagnant offense. With these issues, I'm not overly optimistic about the game on Thursday.

The opinions stated herein are wholly those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of OnceAMetro.com or SBNation.com.

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