Much has changed since the Sounders last played at CenturyLink Field, as three new Sounders have been added to the roster in the last week. On Sunday afternoon, the team returns to its home pitch to take on Orlando City for the first time. Sounders captain Brad Evans shares his thoughts ahead of the afternoon match in the latest edition of his
Captain's Notes
.
It’s a big one at home against Orlando. It’s a team we’ve obviously never faced before; with them being an expansion club, it’s the first meeting in the history of these two teams. That adds a level of excitement to it. Orlando City will be bringing Kaká, one of the biggest names soccer has ever known, and he’s been a massive cog for them and a big reason for their success. They play a 4-2-3-1 and that’s something we have been seeing a lot of in MLS. We should be prepared for that.
We have a bit makeshift backline right now as we move some guys in and out, as new players join us. Kaká and Cyle Larin will be up top and they are two key players for them. Cyle is really impressive and has been scoring a ton of goals season. It’s up to us to slow their attack.
We have guys coming back healthy and Oba adds a dynamic to our game up top. It’s a threat we haven’t had in awhile and he’s itching to get out there. We’re coming off a decent performance in LA. We scored the first goal, but it was a huge loss to lose a player and a sub right after that. It’s not ideal and it changed things tactically for us.
After watching video of the game, I thought we had some good moments. One thing we can consistently say is that we won’t quit on each other. Guys will never stop running for each other no matter the score. We just have to give a little bit extra in front of goal and we can find ourselves on the right side of results.
On Sunday we’re back at home and we have to get a positive result. With ten games remaining, this is a key time and every game is so massive. With a few trophies out of reach, our goal is making the playoffs. We are in that sixth and final spot right now and our goal is to make a run at this thing. That starts Sunday afternoon at home. I know you guys will be there supporting us and we’ll all see some new faces for the Sounders tomorrow. It’s an exciting time…let’s go, Sounders!
