When new Seattle Sounders Designated Player Raúl Ruidíaz makes his MLS debut this Saturday at home against the Vancouver Whitecaps (1 p.m. PT; JOEtv, YouTube TV, Univision-Seattle, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM | TICKETS), one of the most notable things to watch will be the dynamic up front with fellow forward Will Bruin, who has spent the entire season operating alone in a 4-2-3-1 formation, if they have the chance to play together.
Head Coach Brian Schmetzer rightfully won’t tip his hand as to whether Ruidíaz will start or come off the bench, nor whether he might tinker with a 4-4-2 formation that the club has run at certain points earlier in the season in order to get two forwards on the pitch. If Seattle does play with two up top, having a back-to-goal, hold-up player in Bruin with a quick and clever poacher in Ruidíaz would bode well against a Vancouver defense that likes to sit deep and stay compact, especially on the road.
“Early in my career in Houston, we played with two forwards and that’s when I excelled the most,” said Bruin. “Now the defenders have to worry about two people instead of just me occupying space in between two center backs. When center backs have to worry about two bodies up there, that creates space for everybody else and more space in behind. I think it’ll create more opportunities for us and more goals.”
Bruin has enjoyed much success in Seattle since joining prior to the start of the 2017 season. He’s scored 16 goals and added six assists in 35 starts, as well as two more goals and assists in five postseason matches last year. Bruin leads the Sounders with five goals and is second in assists with four, and adding a player of Ruidíaz’s caliber to play off of and lessen his burden should yield even more success for both players.
“You don’t really need to be able to communicate the same language that effectively because when you’re playing the game, movements, actions and eye contact do a lot of talking,” said Bruin. “We like to play off each other and get it out wide, and we both like crosses.
“I envision [playing with Ruidíaz improving] both our games,” he added. “I can be a target guy and take some of the beating, and that can give him more space in behind or underneath.”
