After earning a spot last season in the 2015-16 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League, the Sounders will begin their group stage play on Wednesday evening in Vancouver. Sounders defender and captain Brad Evans reflects on what the match means and how his team has prepared in his latest Captain's Notes.
Wednesday is the opening game of the 2015 Champions League for our team. It's against our rival and it means a lot. The winner of this tournament goes to the FIFA Club World Cup. We as a team share that goal but we know we have to get off to a good start and there's a lot on the line.
Obviously the result this weekend wasn't what we wanted. We're going through a rough patch right now; every team does. It's important for the guys to stick together and the coaching staff to stick together. We are all in this together. I know the boys are ready for Wednesday night. We are ready to fight and battle. We know our fans will be behind us.
Playing a rival team, the result this past weekend, and the start of Champions League...those are three things that are very important and very big. Those are the three reasons why this is a big match for us. We want to get off to a strong start knowing we face Vancouver again next month for the home leg of this tournament.
We want to erase what happened last weekend, get back to our winning ways and give the boys something to be happy about on the ride home. I think everybody's looking to dig in their heels, to work. Sometimes you've got to dig in a little bit, and I know we are ready to do that.
We'll see you guys out there. Go Sounders!
