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Seattle Sounders FC Stifle Freddie Ljungberg In Swede's Homecoming
Aug 29, 2010 2:58:00 AM
By Zac Lee Rigg
SEATTLE -- Freddie Ljungberg led the Chicago Fire with two shots (both off target) during his return to Seattle. However, that stat belies just how ineffective the Swede was against his former teammates.
Sounders FC sealed a win at the death when Fredy Montero scored his second of the night off a header thanks to a rare defensive lapse from the Fire. Though the victory came in dramatic fashion, it shouldn't have. Some tidier finishing would have seen Seattle bury a listless Chicago side.
Especially in the second half, the Fire struggled to make it to Kasey Keller's box or connect passes in attack. Playing a narrow 4-3-2-1 Christmas tree formation, all Seattle had to do was constrict space in the center of the park and Chicago's attacks fizzled out quickly.
Nathan Sturgis, who provided the game-winning assist, helped cover the areas in which Ljungberg roamed.
"We kept [Ljungberg] sort of in that space, he didn't get wide much and really unbalance us too much," Sturgis said, after pointing out that Osvaldo Alonso had man-marked the Swede out of large portions of the match. "We did a good job of keeping him in that zone where we could always keep track of him."
Perhaps the most surprising part of the game was that Fire coach Carlos de los Cobos didn't try to attack the wide areas or move Ljungberg to an area where he could collect the ball with more space. Instead, the coach left things as they were until the 86th minute, when he made his first substitution.
Ljungberg maintained that he enjoys Chicago's passing system after the match, though his words come across as a tad defensive considering the poor implimentation on the night.
"Carlos [de los Cobos] is very adamant about the way he wants to play, and keep the ball on the floor," Ljungberg said in an emotionally-charged post-match press conference. "And that's an easy system for me to play, that's how I want to play so I've gotten into it quite well."
Sigi Schmid was more concerned with what he hopes will become a "season-defining moment" from his team than the return of his former star. Still, the coach pointed out how well his team did with containing the Designated Player.
"I know our fans were booing every time he touched the ball," Schmid explained. "I don't think there were a lot of boos, so that means he wasn't touching the ball all that much."
The crowd reception helped confirm that the matchup was about much more than tactics. Fredy Montero in particular looked worked up, at one point tracking deep into his half to wrestle Ljungberg to the ground and earn a booking.
Despite the loss and the booing, the former Arsenal star left pleased with his return.
"I have a special relationship with people in this city and I thought the fans were just amazing," Ljungberg said. "Of course I was booed in the game, and before and after the game they were cheering so I can understand that totally, and it was a nice reception."
Ljungberg gave plenty of his old teammates hugs before the match and mentioned that they would go out for dinner after the game. Though it was clearly an emotional night for one Freddie, the other Fredy shrugged off questions about Ljungberg.
“One player doesn't make the entire team," Montero said through a translator.
That's true, though de los Cobos might have wanted to point that out to the Chicago attack before the match.
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Sounders FC sealed a win at the death when Fredy Montero scored his second of the night off a header thanks to a rare defensive lapse from the Fire. Though the victory came in dramatic fashion, it shouldn't have. Some tidier finishing would have seen Seattle bury a listless Chicago side.
Especially in the second half, the Fire struggled to make it to Kasey Keller's box or connect passes in attack. Playing a narrow 4-3-2-1 Christmas tree formation, all Seattle had to do was constrict space in the center of the park and Chicago's attacks fizzled out quickly.
Nathan Sturgis, who provided the game-winning assist, helped cover the areas in which Ljungberg roamed.
"We kept [Ljungberg] sort of in that space, he didn't get wide much and really unbalance us too much," Sturgis said, after pointing out that Osvaldo Alonso had man-marked the Swede out of large portions of the match. "We did a good job of keeping him in that zone where we could always keep track of him."
Perhaps the most surprising part of the game was that Fire coach Carlos de los Cobos didn't try to attack the wide areas or move Ljungberg to an area where he could collect the ball with more space. Instead, the coach left things as they were until the 86th minute, when he made his first substitution.
Ljungberg maintained that he enjoys Chicago's passing system after the match, though his words come across as a tad defensive considering the poor implimentation on the night.
"Carlos [de los Cobos] is very adamant about the way he wants to play, and keep the ball on the floor," Ljungberg said in an emotionally-charged post-match press conference. "And that's an easy system for me to play, that's how I want to play so I've gotten into it quite well."
Sigi Schmid was more concerned with what he hopes will become a "season-defining moment" from his team than the return of his former star. Still, the coach pointed out how well his team did with containing the Designated Player.
"I know our fans were booing every time he touched the ball," Schmid explained. "I don't think there were a lot of boos, so that means he wasn't touching the ball all that much."
The crowd reception helped confirm that the matchup was about much more than tactics. Fredy Montero in particular looked worked up, at one point tracking deep into his half to wrestle Ljungberg to the ground and earn a booking.
Despite the loss and the booing, the former Arsenal star left pleased with his return.
"I have a special relationship with people in this city and I thought the fans were just amazing," Ljungberg said. "Of course I was booed in the game, and before and after the game they were cheering so I can understand that totally, and it was a nice reception."
Ljungberg gave plenty of his old teammates hugs before the match and mentioned that they would go out for dinner after the game. Though it was clearly an emotional night for one Freddie, the other Fredy shrugged off questions about Ljungberg.
“One player doesn't make the entire team," Montero said through a translator.
That's true, though de los Cobos might have wanted to point that out to the Chicago attack before the match.
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
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