A loss is a loss. This isn’t a club that will rely on excuses – Head Coach Brian Schmetzer has too much integrity and pride to resort to that. At the end of the day, the Sounders return to Seattle with zero points.
It is a season that is determined over 34 matches, not just one. And on Sunday evening, the Sounders showed a lot of promising signs despite the circumstances.
“They played with their heart, they played together as a group,” Schmetzer said after the match. “They were committed.”
For 90 minutes, a defense without their two starting centerbacks was impenetrable.
For 90 minutes, a team that leads the Western Conference in goals per match couldn’t find the back of the net.
For 90 minutes, the club that threw the biggest party this side of Gatsby – a home opener in a stadium that cost over a quarter billion dollars – had no reason to celebrate.
In the final moments, though, the Sounders lost. A ball from a direct free-kick was misplayed by Stefan Frei and LAFC secured three points.
There’s reason for some concern among Sounders supporters, and the stats validate their reasoning. The Sounders have had trouble scoring on the road in 2018 – three goals and a 0-4-1 record across all competitions as the visitors – and the lack of quantifiable production from stars Nicolás Lodeiro (zero goals, two assists in five MLS matches) and Clint Dempsey (zero goals, one assist in three MLS matches) this season has been frustrating.
Any judgment on Frei’s importance to this club, despite Sunday evening’s fateful folly, is severely misguided. Schmetzer was pointed and brief in defense of his goalkeeper to media.
“He doesn’t have to [apologize],” Schmetzer said after the match. “He has saved us more times than not.”
While the offense has yet to find a rhythm in 2018, particularly on the road, it is fair to also identify positives from this match.
Goalkeeper Stefan Frei battles for a ball at Banc of California Stadium on Sunday evening / Mike Fiechtner
LAFC marched into its new, shiny stadium on fire, winning four of its six away matches, and Banc of California Stadium might never be louder than it was on Sunday evening. Despite both halves of the dynamic center back duo missing – Román Torres was a late scratch with a hamstring strain, while Chad Marshall didn’t travel after a neck injury last week – and Ozzie Alonso still not fit to go 90 minutes, the defense was stellar.
As for now, the Sounders shift their focus to the home match against Columbus Crew SC next Saturday afternoon. The club will certainly look for a different result than Sunday, but Schmetzer hopes to see the same level of commitment and energy from his squad.
“The effort was there,” he said. “If the team plays with that kind of effort every game, we will win more than we lose. That’s without question.”
