After coming from behind to win in dramatic fashion last week, Sounders FC wasn’t able to do the same this time around, falling 1-0 to CD Olimpia in Tegucigalpa, Honduras on Wednesday.
Alberth Elis netted the game’s lone goal, capitalizing on a rebound in the 60th minute after Seattle goalkeeper Troy Perkins had come off his line to halt a shot following an Olimpia through ball. The 19-year-old striker also scored in last week’s 2-1 result at CenturyLink Field.
Sounders FC now turns its focus to Sunday’s rivalry matchup with the Portland Timbers. Here’s what Head Coach Sigi Schmid and his players said in their post-match interviews on Wednesday.
Sigi Schmid:
“I was proud of our team. With all the injuries we’ve had and players coming back from injuries, we obviously couldn’t bring along a lot of our top players. I thought for a very young group to come into this game and make it a very difficult game for Olimpia, it shows a lot for our future…We have a lot of respect for Olimpia, their team and their quality. So the team we put out was in no way disrespect to them. It was the best team we could field.”
Cristian Roldan:
“It was a great experience for all the young guys, and the older guys as well. You get a glimpse of what Honduran soccer is about. The result isn’t what we wanted, but I thought we defended well. They just had one chance that they put in, so we just need to be better defensively on that and be a little more creative in the offensive third.”
Troy Perkins:
“Playing in front of hopefully a sold-out crowd [on Sunday] will be great. Being back home will be great. The atmosphere around the club is good – the guys are in good spirits. We’re learning to fight as a group. We’ve got to take it to Portland and show them that, even though they’re ahead of us, they don’t deserve to be there.”
