After weathering three matches over the course of seven days, the Seattle Sounders have the weekend off due to the international break, giving the team a chance to regroup, recover and thoroughly prepare for their Sept.16 road match against FC Dallas.
“They've got eight training days ahead of them, so we'll work them hard this four day block,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer on Sept. 6.” “And then give them two days off and have another four days to build into Dallas.”
A bye week not only allows the players to rest physically, but mentally as well.
“The season is long, it’s grueling, there's a lot of traveling, so mentally it's difficult,” said goalkeeper Stefan Frei. “And so whenever you get a break, you have to take advantage of it.”
It also gives the team time to focus on any refinements required in their game before heading to Dallas.
The Sounders finished this past three-game week with two draws and a win, coming out to five points total. While the Rave Green finished the stretch of games unbeaten, the group collectively recognized the adjustments that needed to be made in order to take away a win instead of a 2-2 draw against the Timbers after taking a look at film earlier this week.
“The obvious thing was to be a bit smarter…Every action can have consequences,” said Frei. “We looked at the video and on defense maybe we need to be a bit more pessimistic…Expect the worst, be ready for the worst.”
The film also revealed positives from Saturday’s match, which the team hopes to carry over to their remaining stretch of games.
“This was a really difficult week and with the travel and the mental toll it takes, I'm proud of the guys,” said Frei. “We worked exceptionally hard to find the back of the net again and hopefully that gives us a little bit of confidence going forward.”
Schmetzer noted that analyzing the film was helpful for the coaching staff as well.
“We had a good film session, there were ideas. We gave the [players] a chance to tell us how they feel, getting feedback, making sure we check for understanding, you know, did you understand your role in that situation,” he said.
Learning from previous mistakes is necessary for the growth of the team moving forward. And with so much time between fixtures, it’s critical that the squad maintains a competitive atmosphere throughout these string of training sessions ahead of their battle against FC Dallas.
This is especially true with core players Raúl Ruidíaz, Nouhou and Alex Roldan away on international duty.
“A lot of senior guys are missing so you see a lot of competitive drills with young guys coming in,” said Frei. “And so, I think it's a chance for them to get thrown into another level, but then also for the guys who are here right now to really raise the bar and make those young guys who are coming from Academy feel what it is like when there's a big step up.”
Every Match. Every Screen.
MLS Season Pass is the new home for Sounders FC on Apple TV.
