Sounders FC has been down the path of defeat before. It’s not a path it likes to venture down, but when it has felt the sting of a loss, it has been quick to turn things around and get back in the win column.
That is encouraging to Seattle after a 3-0 loss to the LA Galaxy on Monday night at CenturyLink Field, as the club looks now to bounce back in the next match at the San Jose Earthquakes.
“For us, situations like that have to be speed bumps and not detours,” Sounders FC Head Coach Sigi Schmid said. “You always want to be a tough team to beat every time you step on the field. Sometimes the soccer is going to click or not click for one reason or another. But you still have to be a tough team to beat. We know that we didn’t play well and we’ll come out against San Jose ready to play on Saturday.”
Schmid cited a 1-0 win over D.C. United this season as an example of a match in which Seattle didn’t play well, but still found a way to grind out a result.
Now with the loss to the Galaxy in the rearview mirror, Seattle sets its sights on the Earthquakes. Schmid’s club managed a 1-0 win in the previous meeting on May 17th.
Thus far this season, Seattle is 3-0-1 when coming off a defeat in league play, bringing the club’s all-time record after a loss to 17-11-18. The accountability of its players has helped Seattle rebound from losses in the past and will undoubtedly be pivotal in how the club recovers from this defeat.
“That was one of the worst 45s I can even remember playing. I think from top-to-bottom there wasn’t a single guy who can say they played near their potential,” said defender Zach Scott. “All I can do is look at myself from a personal standpoint as a leader on this team and a veteran guy, regardless of who is on the field you need to be able to hold the team together.”
There will be talk this week of reevaluating the defensive pressure of all 11 players on the field, of bouncing back and proving what team truly represents the Sounders FC crest.
To Scott, the results on the field are the only way to prove it.
“All that is right now is a bunch of talk. It really doesn’t matter,” Scott said. “There’s no point talking about what we can do on Saturday. We have to put in a good week of practice and hopefully change things around. This can’t continue. We are not this team.”
Sounders FC faces the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara – the new home of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers. The match will be televised nationally on NBS Sports.
