Throughout the Seattle Sounders’ run to the 2019 MLS Cup, there was one persistent complaint from Brian Schmetzer. The midfield, he’d often say, struggled to control the tempo.
Sometimes, this would mean the Sounders needed to play quicker. Other times, it meant they needed to keep from playing so quickly. Essentially, Schmetzer was looking for someone — preferably one of his central midfielders — to do what Osvaldo Alonso so often did: dictate the pace of the game.
Schmetzer’s frustrations would usually show up in close games where the Sounders struggled to put away their opponents.