Sounders FC dropped a 3-0 result to Vancouver Whitecaps FC at CenturyLink Field on Saturday in front of 53,125 fans. The club welcomed the return of Clint Dempsey, Brad Evans and Stefan Frei to the starting lineup, but three set-piece goals from Vancouver denied the Rave Green a chance to clinch the 2015 Cascadia Cup.
Despite its fourth straight loss, the Rave Green remain in playoff position, tied for fifth in the Western Conference with the Portland Timbers. Here’s what Frei, Evans and Head Coach Sigi Schmid said in their post-match interviews Saturday night.
Sigi Schmid:
“It’s one of things where a team is already in a rut and then you take an early goal, and everyone’s head drops a little bit…It’s disappointing because we felt we had a good week of practice, even though Clint [Dempsey] and Chad Marshall weren’t here the whole week.”
Stefan Frei:
“I think we’ve been trying to take it one game at a time. People might say this is an important game or that is an important game. I think any game is a chance to get out of a slump and any game is a chance to get back on a run. Whether that is on Wednesday or the following game, right now Wednesday is our next game and we have to prepare for that.”
Brad Evans:
“Considering the circumstances and losing so many in a row, it’s not an ideal situation. But the only thing we can do is put a smile on, come into practice and get back to work. I say put a smile on, but we’ve all got to have good attitudes moving forward so we can’t sink the ship right now. So, if changes need to be made that’ll come from up top. But we’ve all got to come in and work. We’ve got a big one on Wednesday night.”