With two key starters out of the lineup, Roger Levesque and Zach Scott changed the style of the right side, but not the result in a 2-0 win over Houston.
One of Seattle’s strengths going in to the 2012 season was their creativity and ability on the right side of the field. In defender Adam Johansson and midfielder Mauro Rosales, they have a veritable attacking force.
However, both were unavailable for Friday night’s match with the Houston Dynamo and Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid was left look to his bench for replacements.
Knowing that he couldn’t plug two players into those key positions in Seattle’s attack and maintain the same style of play with the same effectiveness, Schmid brought on veterans Roger Levesque and Zach Scott and shifted the focus of Seattle’s right side.
“It becomes a different game when those two guys are out,” midfielder Brad Evans said. “You know what you're going to get every time from those two it's going to be hard, solid work. Is it as creative? No. Are the crosses coming in? No. But defensively it helps out a lot especially against a team with Brad Davis who was one of the best players in the league and he'll probably do the same this year. He was not a non-factor but the guys did very well defensively against him.”