The Seattle Sounders defeated FC Dallas 4-0 last weekend to book their ninth consecutive trip to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, due in large part to the adaptive play of midfielder Nicolás Lodeiro. In this edition of Quest Diagnostics Advanced Stats, we examine Lodeiro’s strong performance last Sunday.
He started the match in his normal spot on the right wing, but after Gustav Svensson exited with a hamstring injury just 23 minutes in, and Osvaldo Alonso sidelined with a quad injury, Lodeiro was forced to drop into defensive midfield for Svensson alongside Cristian Roldan.
From there, Lodeiro was just as active and influential on the game, helping the Sounders tie their season-high for goals scored. He had 101 touches, 78 passes and an assist, and he also catalyzed Will Bruin’s first goal when his dangerous cross-field pass found an open Kelvin Leerdam.
Lodeiro will try and lead Seattle to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and a Knockout Round bye when the Sounders host the Colorado Rapids in the final game of the regular season on Sunday (1 p.m. PT; JOEtv, Univision-Seattle, 107.7 The End, El Rey 1360 AM | TICKETS).
