SEATTLE -- When the Seattle Sounders get together with FC Dallas, it’s always a high-intensity occasion, no matter the venue.
Sunday’s match between the sides at CenturyLink Field wasn’t any different.
The game had playoff vibes from the get-go, with Seattle intent on continuing its recent red-hot run of unbeaten matches and FCD looking to show why they’re currently residing at the top of the Western Conference table. The result was a physical, trash-talk-heavy and chippy affair that wasn’t lacking in theatrics even before the teams met at midfield to exchange words and a couple of shoves following the final whistle.
“It was like a final. Dallas is the best team in our conference,” Sounders midfielder Nicolás Lodeiro said after the game. “We played like a final and we fought like a final, because we needed to win.”
Added goalkeeper Stefan Frei: “I don’t know if they’re wanting to establish a rivalry against us or what. But they were pretty feisty.”
Brad Smith made his MLS debut with the Sounders on Sunday evening at left back. | USA Today Sports
It was Lodeiro who bagged the game-winning free kick in the 63rd minute, setting the stage for those late-game fireworks. First came a straight red card to FCD’s Reto Ziegler after a dust-up with Raúl Ruidíaz. Then it was Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan getting hacked down twice while trying to maintain possession next to a corner flag on the Dallas side of the pitch, precipitating the post-game mini-fracas at midfield.
“We knew at the end of the game that they were desperate and anxious,” Loderio said. “So we knew that we needed to hold the ball and try to get under their skin and try to get them even more desperate and anxious.”
In the end, Seattle’s unbeaten run officially moved to eight matches – a stretch that has seen them go 6-0-2 and climb back in the West playoff race.
But they also got a preview of what things might be like from now until the end of the season as they look to continue that run. Points are still very much at a premium as teams jostle for spots and seeding, meaning every game has potential postseason implications.
Asked if he could feel that extra bit of buzz and luster from the crowd during Sunday’s victory, Roldan responded in the affirmative, adding that he noticed a ripple effect in terms of how Seattle attacked the game.
“Totally,” he said. “And you saw how offensive we were and how committed we were to scoring an early goal. Unfortunately it didn’t come our way, but you saw how many guys were bombing forward and how much energy we had off the bat. It’s part of what we want to improve on. I think we’ve had slow starts in the past, but it’s part of the flare that the fans give us for sure.”
It should make for some entertaining matches, particularly in the coming weeks with former Sounders coach Sigi Schmid and the LA Galaxy coming to town on Saturday, followed by a massive derby with the Portland Timbers at Providence Park on Aug. 26.
It also means that maintaining composure is paramount so as not to get baited into any ejections or unnecessary cards. The Sounders admittedly struggled with some of that discipline early in the season when they opened their season by getting red cards in three straight games.
Only one player has been sent off since, however, and Head Coach Brian Schmetzer said he feels like his team is ready to for high-intensity grind that lays ahead.
“Even through all of the chaos, and through some of the tackles and some of the other stuff, I think for the most part our guys kept composure,” Schmetzer said. “And that’s what I was very proud of. Towards the end there, we kept our composure and were able to close out the game.”
