Is this the ‘best soccer’ Sounders have ever played?
Brian Schmetzer thinks that’s the kind of form his team is in.
That the Seattle Sounders have tallied the full six points in their first two home games may have been the expectation internally, but the way they’ve played in those two victories might be a pleasant surprise.
Early season games in most sports can be a bit of an eyesore at times, as players work their way into fitness, and coaches figure out the best ways to position them for success. So it’s worth nothing when you see performances that remind you of midseason form, or playoff runs.
Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer cited another reminder that will likely have fans salivating at the potential of the 2023 Sounders.
“That was some of the best soccer that the Seattle Sounders have played in a very long time,” Schmetzer said. “It reminded me a little bit of some of the stuff that [Obafemi Martins] and Clint [Dempsey] used to do. Some of that stuff that you would see and it was entertaining. I think that was a really entertaining match.”
The match started out a bit slowly, as Real Salt Lake’s not-so-subtle gameplan was to remain stout defensively, and run out the clock. But eventually, the Sounders were able to break their defenses courtesy of Jordan Morris headed goal.
With RSL no longer able the sit back, the Sounders were able to fully dominate the match, and with no shortage of flair.
“When you have two pretty dominant performances like that you definitely have fun,” Jordan Morris said. “Especially that second half when we were keeping the ball, a lot of combinations, one-touch plays and creating a lot of chances.”
Though the Sounders only found the back of the net twice through all of those chances, the style of play was something that had fans, coaches and players talking after the match
“That’s just the beauty of it with the type of players that we are and the type of players that we have,” Alex Roldan said. “It’s a fluid game for us. Coaches have been pretty adamant about letting us interchange and just having the fluidity in a game. Just keep building on those things and finding the right pockets to be in so I can provide an option for my teammates and we can hopefully keep building on that.”
With two shutouts to start the season, one might have thought goalkeeper Stefan Frei would focus on the defensive sturdiness displayed by the Sounders, but even he couldn’t help but marvel at the attacking efficiency.
“Really happy with obviously the results and the shoutouts but really happy with the quality of football we are displaying,” Frei said “We are playing some of the best football I’ve seen us play, honestly. It’s really nice, very decisive at times, good combos, lethal. Really asking a lot of questions of the opponent.”
Having passed the first test of securing full points at home, the Sounders will now get its first road test of the year. Away matches in MLS are notoriously difficult, and the Sounders road record last year (3-12-2) was a departure from their performance in most year. But with a newfound confidence, they expect they’ll be able to turn those results around.
“It was definitely a really fun game to be a part of, that’s what happens when this group plays up to its potential,” Morris said. “We know the quality that we have and I’ve think we’ve shown that the last couple games but we can’t rest on that, we got to keep building.”