By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Sounders looking to move on from incredible cup run

The  Seattle Sounders’ 3-0 win over Inter Miami to claim the League Cup title is one of the club’s most significant accomplishments.  Like many of the club’s titles, the win brought the city together for one enchanting evening, which will be a lifelong memory for players and fans.  Players were able to celebrate the accomplishment and get some respite.

REALITY OF  THE MLS

The club returns to MLS play this  Saturday when it hosts the LA Galaxy. The match with Galaxy has the potential to be a double hangover. The two sides have played each other three times in a little over a month and the Sounders are 3-0. One of the three wins was a  2-0 Leagues Cup semi-final win  in LA. Before that, the Sounders walloped the Galaxy 4-0 on August  10th in LA.  

While it seems like a lifetime ago, the Galaxy are the defending MLS  Champions and advanced to the finals after beating the Sounders 2-0 in the Western Conference Finals.  Poor play has the  Galaxy sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference with a  4-8-16 record. Since the  League  Cup Semi-Final loss to the Sounders, the Galaxy are 1-1.  The  Galaxy will step into Lumen Field on a high note after  scoring a 98th-minute stoppage-time goal to split the points with the  Houston Dynamo.

LAST TIME NOT TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS IN 2022

Back in the minds of the Sounders is the 2022 season. That is the only year the team did not make the playoffs in the history of the franchise. It is also the year the club won the CONCACAF Champions League.

“ I had talked about that a little bit with my family. You know, winning a trophy in the middle of the season’s kind of a weird thing to do. For us in Champions League, it was in May, this one’s a little bit later, but I think the difference this year is being able to have so many guys contribute in so many different ways, keeping us competitive in training, keeping us competitive with, you know, on our toes, with the lineups,’ Said  Cristian Roldan. “

 I think all that allows us to stay afloat and on our toes. So, you know, Schmetzer has done a great job of balancing out the group. 
We’ve had a lot of injuries and guys have contributed, so I think that the depth is what separates us from 2022 and hopefully we’ll see that over the next, you know, six, seven game.”

COMPETITION WITHIN

Sounders head coach  Brian Schmetzer has been preaching competition all season and the players have responded. The  Sounders won the  Leagues Cup without  Jordan Morris, Ryan Kent,  Joao Paulo , Paul Arriola , Albert Rusnák and  Stefan Frei.  Several players, including Morris, Rusnâk, and Frei, are available for Saturday’s game.

During practice this week, Schmetzer dropped the hint that he would keep the same lineup that won the Leagues Cup.  This is where the questions arise. Will the starting players be able to refocus?

 “ The Galaxy’s is a dangerous team because they’re gonna have a bunch of young guys, they have nothing to lose. 
If we have even one sniff of being complacent or you not playing up to our level, well, then that’s shame on us,’ said Schmetzer after the team’s Friday practice.  

LOOKING FOR A FAST START

The Sounders will look to play fast as they always do at home. That is pushing the ball forward,  pressing high on goal kicks.   Midfielders Cristian Roldan (USMNT ) and Obed Vargas (Mexico U-20) returned from successful international duties and will be looked at by Schmetzer to continue their stellar play in the middle of the park.

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