Time is guaranteed, but it’s making little impact for Seattle Sounders FC.
Even 10 years into his Sounders career, 2024 is unique for two-time MLS Cup champion Cristian Roldan.
On Sunday, as Seattle eliminated the Houston Dynamo in penalty kicks to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals in the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs, Roldan and 38-year-old goalkeeper Stefan Frei turned back the clock.
“Every season seems to be slightly different. The one thing that I will say about this team is that it is the closest team I've been a part of in my 10 years here, and you can sense that on the field, guys buy in a little bit more,” Roldan said.
“Our culture is probably the best it's ever been... Our team might not be the most talented, but we believe in the way we play, we defend as a group, we make it difficult on teams. I hope we have a long postseason run.”
Frei made six saves in the 1-1 draw before stopping the final penalty to send Seattle into the second round of the playoffs for the eighth time in his career.
“I agree with Cristian that this is a close-knit team; even though there's disagreement, sometimes it's still a family,” head coach Brian Schmetzer said. “Cristian is a very emotional guy, and after a game like this, he and Stef, those guys take the lead... it’s a tight-knit group in there.”
Despite not dominating to start the regular season, the Sounders' hot midseason form shot them up the table and into a top-four spot in the West. And in the postseason, on the road, against an always-challenging Dynamo side, they found their way through in a big moment.
Built for playoffs
That trend has become a tradition for the Sounders in recent seasons.
Even as the fourth seed, their experience, coupled with exciting youngsters Pedro de la Vega and Obed Vargas, allowed them to harness composure over Houston and advance past their Round One Best-of-3 Series.
While they couldn’t reap the benefits of Héctor Herrera’s 66th-minute red card, they came through when it counted during a lengthy shootout, bouncing back from a 93rd-minute own-goal equalizer after opening the scoring in the 87th minute.
“The mentality of this team is very strong. It surprised me tonight in some ways. I've seen it throughout the year... to take a gut punch like that and for them to get it back and get scored on a man up is a psychological blow,” Schmetzer added.
“We came through and were able to regroup. Penalty kicks are not easy, and the fans were going crazy behind us. The pressure is there, but all of our guys put that pressure on their shoulders, and they made those penalties again.”
In many ways, it wasn’t a game that the Sounders will want to replicate. Still, their postseason pedigree shone through and proved good enough for the sweep.
“We talk about being a professional and not getting too low and not getting too high, right?” Roldan said. “Much like the story of our season, if you go on a winning streak, you can't be too high, and you can't get too low when you're struggling at the beginning of the year, like we did.”
Set for the semifinals
As Vargas returned to the lineup for Game 2, the Sounders were without Jordan Morris and Albert Rusnák. Yet, with the win, they’ve secured a lengthier spell off and a chance for their star attacking players to rest.
The Western Conference Semifinals are set for Nov. 23-24 and Round One won’t wrap up until Nov. 10.
With the Vancouver Whitecaps and LAFC bound for a decisive Game 3, the Sounders will have ample recovery time for Rusnák and Morris. That, though, comes with a critical training plan and keeping a rhythm.
“We obviously didn't want it to go to the third game. Good teams find ways to win when you're not at your best,” Roldan added. “I’m really proud of the group for getting out of this series and being able to rest up for another difficult matchup.”
