Gonzalo Pineda is a hard man to replace. Especially now, this season, when even at the age of 32 the former Mexico international is turning in some of the most aesthetically pleasing play of his career.
Hard for most, anyway. It’s been no problem for Andy Rose.
Through Sounders FC’s first 11 matches, Pineda had started nine and led all of MLS in passes per game. To date, he’s still the only player in the league with more than 70. More than that, though, Pineda’s pulse-stopping calm paired with Osvaldo Alonso’s all-action mentality stamped Seattle’s midfield duo as the league’s most productive.
When Pineda went down with an ankle injury during a scoreless draw against Sporting KC, Rose was the natural choice as the next man up. Rose was no stranger to the starting lineup this season, but he’d done a fair amount of his most recent work filling in on the right flank while Pineda and Alonso staked a convincing claim to the midfield. When Pineda went down, Rose slotted in at his more natural spot in the middle.
The returns over the last two matches have been stirring. Rose hasn’t attempted to replicate Pineda. As more of a box-running midfielder, that wouldn’t echo his skill set anyway. But by taking some cues from one of the league’s best midfielders and grafting it onto his game, Rose has quickly become an indispensable threat in Seattle’s midfield.
“He’s been fantastic,” Sounders FC centerback Zach Scott said. “A guy that has definitely earned his minutes. It’s not like it’s just Gonzalo going down injury-wise got Andy a chance. He’s had to earn those minutes. He’s a player in the mold of Brad Evans, where he can be anywhere over the field. He’s good at that late run out of midfield, which does help stretch defenses.”
Rose first stepped in for Pineda against the Colorado Rapids on May 27, where he helped shut out an increasingly desperate attacking team as the match wore on. Going forward, though, Rose added another field-stretching dimension Pineda did not. While Rose completed 78 percent of his passes, he also didn’t always sit in the hole playing one-twos off Alonso. While he took some risks that didn’t come off, the fact that he was pushing into the Rapids’ half gave them a look they almost assuredly weren’t prepared for based solely on 2015 film study.
Sounders FC finished that match 1-0 winners with a monstrous 69 percent possession advantage. The fact that there was zero hitch in Seattle’s gait even without one of their most important cogs is a credit to Rose’s versatility.
“(Pineda) obviously has fantastic technical ability, short-range passing ability to see passes, switch the field,” Rose said. “Those are all things I’m trying to learn from him. He played at a World Cup. He’s a top, top player. Me, I’m probably a little bit more of a box-to-box player, get forward, get back. But obviously it doesn’t matter if we’re getting three points. It doesn’t matter as long as we’re scoring and getting the wins.”
Rose’s performance against the New York Red Bulls less than a week later was more of the same. Yet again, Rose’s possession numbers ballooned to match the style - his 87 percent completion percentage mixed with his desire to probe forward was a boon for Clint Dempsey, who thrived off the connection and noticeably didn’t have to drop as deep to collect service.
Paired with the inimitable Marco Pappa pinching inside and Obafemi Martins dropping more than ever, it’s been easy for Rose to find his rhythm in a pinch. And with Rose in the middle, Seattle has six points from two matches. Doesn’t get any better than that.
“We’re more possession-based this season than any other,” Rose said. “Clint and Oba want the ball to their feet a lot more. They’re coming deep to get it. Obviously Pappa’s coming inside and he’s brilliant on the ball playmaking and wanting it deep. If I’m playing in the middle with Ozzie, it’s all about getting those three the ball as much as possible, moving the ball forward as much as possible. Obviously it’d be good if we can stretch teams a little bit more as well, but the main thing is getting those three the ball as much as possible.”
In a way, a moment like this was inevitable. Pushing 33, Pineda was always going to need some spells of rest to march through the rigors of a full season in order to be ready for the playoffs, still more than four months away. In that sense, Rose’s role was preordained. But the fact that he’s adjusted as he has to the most possession-minded formula in the league on the fly provides yet another arrow in coach Sigi Schmid’s quiver.
“Andy’s got a very high work rate when he’s on the field,” Schmid said. “He covers a lot of ground, so there’s a lot of things he does that don’t always show up in the box score in terms of covering back and getting out. He’s very rangy getting wide. He’s also a player as a midfielder who likes to make those late runs into the box, and that can be very helpful at times.”
This weekend, Seattle is off to Kansas City to face a Sporting KC side that will almost assuredly open up the engine and play more proactively than it did in Seattle. Sounders FC, which is still awaiting word that Pineda’s ankle is back to 100 percent, may well have to turn to the suddenly proficient Rose with a glut of starters likely to be missing for various reasons, including Alonso who will be serving a one-match suspension.
As far as Rose is concerned, that’s just fine. He’s been ready all along.
“I’ve been feeling good, getting a lot of good minutes which is the main thing for me,” Rose said. “You only get that by performing in the games, being solid and then performing on the training pitch. Very pleased. Played a couple different positions, obviously most comfortable in the middle, but more than happy to do whatever I need to do for the team.”
