After a grind-it-out 1-0 victory against D.C. United last Friday thanks to a Tyrone Mears thunderstrike, Sounders FC is back on the road to face the Chicago Fire. Providing his insight to the contest is former Sounders captain and current broadcaster Kasey Keller in the most recent Off-Camera Observations. Read up.
On being back on the road after D.C. United victory:
First and foremost, I think it’s about keeping things tight in the back. It looks like Stefan Frei could be out, so it’s a big opportunity for Troy Perkins. It’s an opportunity for young players to play and prove to the coaching staff that they can perform on the road against a team that, if you look at their place in the standings, the Sounders should beat. But then there’s a different responsibility involved when you’re going into a place where, historically, you’ve had a lot of success. With so many players missing, guys need to step up.
On Troy Perkins starting in place of the injured Stefan Frei:
It’s always tricky. So much about goalkeeping is reading the game and how quickly you’re able to read situations. When you haven’t had that opportunity to play regularly, it makes it that much more difficult for goalkeepers to get their timing exactly right. Troy’s had some time to work on things to make sure he’s got it right Hopefully he steps in and succeeds, and that’s part of being an experienced goalkeeper. That’s why you have an experienced goalkeeper on the bench.
On Chicago's dangerman Mike Magee:
Magee is a player that’s really taken advantage of his mobility. You talk about players like Chris Wondolowski, who is always moving and always putting himself in good positions. Guys like that score a lot of tap-in goals, but they score because they’re always moving and getting themselves in the right position.
I think Magee, particularly in LA, was that player. There was so much attention on Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan and others that people just lost track of Magee. He got to Chicago and has performed extremely well, but he’s really trying to recapture that form. And part of it is that he’s not playing with the caliber of players he was playing with in LA. He’s just trying to find a way to lead this Chicago team and get them closer to the top of the table.
