Just over a month ago, Seattle Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer was lamenting his team’s showing against LAFC at the MLS is Back Tournament. They were defeated 4-1 on July 27, and he matter-of-factly stated they “failed” that measuring stick in the Round of 16.
But a different tone emerged from Schmetzer Sunday evening as he settled into his postgame press conference, shortly removed from a 3-1 victory over the defending Supporters’ Shield champions. It was his defending MLS Cup champs’ first game back at CenturyLink Field in nearly six months amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This week was a little bit easier to coach because, look, the players have pride in themselves,” Schmetzer said. “Last time they played this team they lost 4-1 and it could have been worse. I think a lot of that's taken care of inside the locker room by a bunch of proud individuals in a cohesive team that wanted to do better.
“So a lot of the messaging was similar, a lot of the tactics were similar. I just felt we had a good week of training, even with the impromptu trip down to LA with no game. There were a couple good training days, and I think that was reflected in the game tonight.”
Schmetzer referenced Wednesday's planned match at the LA Galaxy that was postponed amid player-led protests after the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Four days later, they were back on home turf replicating the 3-1 result that saw Seattle past LAFC in the 2019 Western Conference Final.
From a tactical perspective, Seattle relied upon a similar formula: beating the press with speed, and capitalizing on chances when LAFC floods numbers forward. It led to Raul Ruidiaz curling home a left-footed stunner in the 11th minute, then Jordan Morris scored twice within a 61-second span to make it 3-0 by the 49th minute. The first two strikes involved errors from LAFC goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer, and it should be noted that they were missing midfielder Eduard Atuesta (foot) and star forward Carlos Vela (MCL) to injuries.
“I remember at halftime in Orlando, [Schmetzer] was really frustrated with us that we weren't pressing high, we were letting them play out of the back and kind of dictate the tempo,” Morris said. “For us coming into this game, I think that was a big one, was just to press high, make it uncomfortable for them. I think we got them out of their rhythm a little bit.”
Cristian Roldan also addressed the difference between this regular-season clash and the Orlando one. His take? The little details that create three points.
“When we're on the same page and playing direct and doing the difficult running – the running that sometimes doesn't get rewarded – it's effective because you create space for others,” Roldan said. “So I thought today we were on the same page with the balance between playing short and trying to play through them versus playing over them into space.
“I think that was effective tonight and, obviously, when you score a goal and then you get on top of them and score another one, it deflates them. I felt that was the case tonight, a lot like when we played in LA for the Western Conference Final.”
The question shifts to how long Seattle can keep this fine form going. They beat Cascadia rivals Portland Timbers, 3-0, last week and now prepare for a Wednesday trip to face Real Salt Lake as the Phase 1 restart continues (9:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+, on DAZN in Canada). With a game in hand, they trail just Sporting Kansas City for the Western Conference lead.
Schmetzer doesn’t expect any letdown, and it doesn’t look like they’ll be without Ruidiaz for long. He subbed off the DP forward as a precautionary measure at halftime (foot contusion), but Schmetzer said afterward that the Peruvian is “fine” and “it’s nothing bad.”
“We're a proud franchise, we are the defending champions,” Schmetzer added. “There are so many different reasons why this organization is not going to let our foot off the gas. We're too smart for that, we have too many veteran players for that. We have a good locker room, we've got guys like Will Bruin that are hungry to play. I could give you 10 more different reasons why we're not going to let our foot off the gas."
