TUKWILA — Being tagged “Chad Marshall 2.0” can have its setbacks.
Marshall, a three-time MLS Defender of the Year, is the best to have ever stalked the backline in protection of goal for the Sounders. His imposing stature, grit in aerial duels and passing accuracy were all spotted in Jackson Ragen last March when Sounders teammate Kelyn Rowe compared the MLS rookie to the retired legend.
But the comparisons faded by summer.
Ragen, who initially broke into the starting lineup as an injury replacement for Yeimar Gomez Andrade (ankle), only received two starts the final four months of the 2022 season.
“Sometimes I was complacent last year,” Ragen said. “As I started playing a good amount, I thought it would just come to me. What got me playing and having the coaches trust me was preparing and not making mistakes — being my best self. I got away from that after I started playing a lot. I didn’t think I needed to prepare myself as best as I could and just showed up.”
Ragen is once again looking like Marshall to start the 2023 season — this time adamant he’s learned from last season’s inconsistency in how he approached training and carried that into games. Ragen even earned the starting role to open the season over Xavier Arreaga, who started 26 of 27 MLS matches last year and the CONCACAF Champions League final series against PUMAS UNAM.
Ragen has been key in Seattle’s back-to-back home wins, helping the Sounders lead the league in duels won (55.6%) and collect two shutouts.
The Sounders (2-0) will see if they can replicate the success with their first MLS road match of the season against FC Cincinnati. The match is Seattle’s first at TQL Stadium. The home side played its inaugural MLS season in 2019 and is 0-1-1 against the Sounders all-time.
But the Orange & Blue aren’t playing like newbies. FCC (1-0-1) reached the Eastern Conference semifinals last season and have a formidable attacking unit in midfielder Luciano Acosta and forwards Brandon Vazquez and Brenner.
Neither registered goals in Cincinnati’s two matches to open the season — a 2-1 win against Houston and goalless draw against Orlando last week — but Vazquez and Brenner combined for 36 goals and 14 assists last year.
“They’re going to be up against two really good forwards,” Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said of Yeimar and Ragen. “Let’s see how that battle shapes up. Acosta is very good, he’s a playmaker. Let’s see how [midfielder Joao Paulo] can match that. It’s going to be a great test.”
It was Schmetzer’s eye test that revived the Marshall comparison for Ragen.
Unprompted, the coach regarded the 2-0 win against Real Salt Lake as the best match a Sounders team has displayed in “a very long time.” He added that the 90 minutes Ragen played was one of his better performances.
Ragen won six aerial duels and completed 83.3% of his passes (40 of 48) against RSL.
“Jackson brings a little bit of composure on the ball,” Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan said. “The speed of his passes is really important. He’s a lot like Joao where he kind of gives you that stability and allows Yeimar and Nouhou to kind of be more aggressive with their touches and break that first line of pressure with their first touch. Jackson, when he gets pressure, he knows how to hit a long ball. That’s the first thing he’ll do. That stability he brings, he’s always an option, and that’s what you want.”
Aside from environment and opponent, Ragen and the Sounders will have to adapt to a change in their lineup Saturday. Part of why his long balls out of pressure worked were because of forward Jordan Morris’ speed to chase down the pass while fighting off defenders and the ability of Morris and forward Heber to win aerial duels up top.
But Heber suffered a hamstring injury at training Wednesday and is unavailable for selection. Sounders striker Raul Ruidiaz could get the start, but the all-star’s skill set is with the ball at his feet, not heading down long passes.
“The style that we try to do in the games and the style that we practice all preseason, that has to stick with us whether we’re home or away,” Sounders midfielder Albert Rusnak said. “It’s not going to be pretty every game, but this is the level that we set. And it’s the level that was expected of us.
“That’s why last year when we didn’t make the playoffs, all of the pundits and everybody was saying, ‘what a failure’ is because that expectation given the players that we have was as high as we played the last two games. Now the challenge is to try to be consistent.”
For Ragen, building consistency began in the weight room last winter. He gained muscle strength to handle physical forwards with his 6 foot 6, 205-pound frame. Ragen also hopes his improved conditioning keeps his energy high for 90 minutes, thus not dropping concentration on plays to close out shutouts.
“It’s really just having more intention and preparing as best I can,” Ragen said. “I’m looking at all of the lessons I learned and growing from that.”
NOTE: Saturday’s match is free via the Apple TV app. Viewers only need an Apple ID. The game will also air on 950 KJR AM and in Spanish on El Rey 1360 a.m.