There was an energy shift in the air at Lumen Field on Saturday night as soon as Ryan Kent entered the pitch.
The electrifying winger came on as a second half substitute and helped the Sounders seize complete control over St. Louis CITY SC. Not only did the team secure three of their four goals during his 33 minutes on the pitch, Kent also collected his first two assists with the club, supporting Seattle to another victory at home.
“You've got a guy that's played at a high level, and he's got quality, and so credit to him for being patient,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer.
Since signing in late March, Kent has spent his time in Seattle working his way back to full form. Prior to his Sounders debut on April 19, the winger had not participated in a match since July of last year with former club Fenerbahçe.
“The first couple weeks I felt like I had two right feet in training,” said Kent. “But as the weeks have progressed, I'm starting to feel sharp again, starting to feel good with a ball.”
His rediscovered confidence was obvious during his second-half action on Saturday night. Along with his two assists, the winger completed 100% of his passes, created a total of three goal-scoring opportunities for the Rave Green, won three duels, and picked up two successful tackles.
Beyond the stats, Kent’s tactical decision making and versatile playing style injected a new excitement into the attack.
“If you watched him play, sometimes he does something tricky and fancy versus [other times] he just plays simple, the ball comes to him, [and] he just knocks it, because he understands the rhythm of the game,” said Schmetzer.
He credits his teammates for giving him the foundation to be as influential as he was during his second-half appearance.
“I thought the boys were excellent in the first half,” said Kent. “They ran the opponents into the ground and they made it easy for the subs to come on and make that impact. And we definitely did that. We created loads of chances and the score line probably could have been a lot more in the end, but it's onwards and upwards from there.”
After Saturday’s performance, Kent said he felt “ready to really start playing again.” His hope is to eventually secure a starting spot on the Rave Green, but recognizes the team has been successful with the current lineup, picking up 10 points from their last four matches. So, for the time being, he is embracing any opportunity he can get.
“Since I've come here, the team’s played really well. So there's not been a reason to change the team at all,” he said. “All I can do right now is just keep making an impact whenever I'm on the pitch, whenever I've got the ball at my feet and keep working hard in training.”
The coaches have no doubt he will be given more opportunities in the future.
“He showed us what he can do, and that is going to make my job intensely challenging, because he's deserving of more minutes,” said Schmetzer.
