In an international friendly on Tuesday night, Sounders FC tied 2-2 with Club Tijuana, the current first-place team in Mexico’s Liga MX. The match saw half a dozen Sounders make their First-Team debuts and several other young players leave an imprint for the Rave Green.
Aaron Kovar and Cristian Roldan played the full 90 minutes in midfield and were integral parts of the team’s two goals. Rookie defender Oniel Fisher started on Seattle’s backline, playing 64 minutes on the right side after contributing in the S2 match over the weekend. He and Roldan worked well together on the right wing, while Kovar often linked up with starter Dylan Remick and second-half substitute Andres Correa on the left.
Here’s what Head Coach Sigi Schmid and some of the veteran Sounders said after the match regarding the performance of Seattle’s young players.
Sigi Schmid:
“When you get into those stretches of games, you have to rotate your squad a little bit. So it gives you an opportunity to see who can step up to that level of competition, who can hold his own. I thought Aaron Kovar had some really good moments in the game tonight. I thought Cristian Roldan played well tonight in the wide right and middle of the midfield. I thought Oniel [Fisher] had a good stint at right back for us.”
“Those are going to be guys who will be important as you move forward into that rotation, because they are either going to be playing in [Champions League] or they are going to be playing in MLS games. So you want to know that they can do the business. I have good confidence in this team. I have good confidence in every guy we put on the field. For them, it helps their confidence to step onto the field and do well.”
Gonzalo Pineda:
“I think they were really good. Roldan, Kovar and all of them did a great job. We train with them every single day, so we know their potential and we know that when they have the chance, they can do a very good job.”
Chad Barrett:
“I thought a lot of them played really well. It’s just a good opportunity – It’s better than coming out and practicing on a Tuesday. You get to play in a game.”
Andy Rose:
“I think it’s a testament to the guys. Everyone works hard in training to be in that starting XI. The guys who don’t get regular minutes stepped up really well and did some great stuff today. It’s just a testament to the group. We have a very deep squad. Whoever you throw out there, he’ll get the job done.”
