When speaking with the media the day before the second leg of the Western Conference Semifinals, Sigi Schmid was asked about a scenario that seemed unthinkable for this year’s Sounders FC.
“What if the season ends tomorrow night?”
The pressure was on Seattle. With a pair of trophies already this year and five MLS All-Stars in their starting lineup, playoff expectations were higher than ever. Bowing out in the Conference Semifinals would have been an unfitting ending to the most successful season in club history.
In front of 38,912 hopeful fans at CenturyLink Field, Schmid’s team did not shy away from the pressure. The Sounders played FC Dallas to a 0-0 draw on Monday, a result that clinched their spot in the Conference Championship against the LA Galaxy.
“I thought our intensity was really good and I thought our concentration was really good,” Schmid said after the match. “There was communication between the guys on the field, and the willingness to do unselfish things and help each other – I thought it was very high tonight.”
The result extends Seattle’s season by at least three more weeks. It is the second time the Sounders have reached the Conference Championship, as the club was eliminated in the Semifinals in each of its other four seasons.
With the help of its loyal fans, Seattle accomplished what not many top seeds have been able to do in recent years.
Since 2011, just two No. 1 seeds have won a playoff series. The past two Supporters’ Shield winners – New York and San Jose – both lost in the Conference Semifinals despite hosting the second leg.
Centerback Zach Scott has played in more than 300 matches with the Sounders. He couldn’t remember many games in which the fans at CenturyLink Field were louder than they were Monday night.
“It was tremendous. The crowd really was amazing,” Scott said. “You could definitely feel the energy, and it was one of those games where you almost feel like a goal was going to happen because the ball was getting sucked back into their half with the crowd cheering.”
Sounders FC fans will get at least one more chance to cheer on their team at home, as the series with LA comes to CenturyLink Field for the second leg November 30.
One team’s season will come to an end that day, and for the Galaxy, it could also be the final match of Landon Donovan’s professional career. Donovan is retiring after this year as the MLS all-time leader in goals and assists.
That will only add to Seattle’s challenge of facing a team it went toe-to-toe with in a battle for the Supporters’ Shield.
“You want to compete against the best and prove that you are the best,” goalkeeper Stefan Frei said. “We had that series against them and did fairly well, but now it’s a different story. So we need to get back to work and get better during the week in practice and be ready.”
