The Seattle Sounders are heading into the return leg of the Western Conference Championship on Thursday (7:30 p.m. PT; ESPN, ESPN Deportes, KIRO Radio 97.3 FM, El Rey 1360 AM | TICKETS) with a 2-0 aggregate lead, but don’t tell them that.
The Sounders have one foot in MLS Cup 2017 after their impressive win over the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium last week, but the focus and the mindset heading into the return leg is unchanging. Seattle posted its best home record in nine years this season, sporting a 12-1-5 mark including the playoffs and going undefeated since May 6, and the Sounders are looking to add another postseason home win in their encore to last year’s title run.
“Win the game, that’s the best mentality to have,” said Sounders right back Kelvin Leerdam. “If you’re going to sit back and calculate things, you’re always going to make stupid mistakes. I think you need to go in to win.”
Seattle’s defense has only conceded eight times in the 17 matches since Leerdam transferred from Dutch Eredivisie side Vitesse in July, and his presence has helped fortify an already impressive back line. The Sounders will be without center back Román Torres for the second leg because of a yellow-card accumulation suspension, but as Tyler Miller proved in Houston, the Sounders are fully prepared to have the next man step up.
“I always feel confident, it doesn’t matter which lineup we play because we trust each other,” Leerdam said. “Of course Román is a very important player on the team, but we need everybody, every defender, every teammate to perform good. I feel comfortable with everybody.”
One of Torres’ potential replacements alongside Chad Marshall in the center of defense is Gustav Svensson, Head Coach Brian Schmetzer’s Swedish army knife and unlikely goalscorer in Leg 1. A defensive midfielder by trade, Svensson started 30 matches this year, including 12 at center back, the last of which came on Sept. 23 at Real Salt Lake.
“It’s not that difficult,” Svensson said of the transition from defensive midfield to center back. “The biggest difference is that you have to stay back…I told Schmetzer at the beginning of the season, and I tell him every time we speak, that if he needs me to play other positions, I have no problem with that. I think it’s a good quality of a player if he can play in different positions.”
Whether Svensson starts at center back or Schmetzer opts to run out second-year defender Tony Alfaro, who appeared in 15 matches this season with eight starts, the Sounders will be ready for whatever Houston throws their way.
“This is why you train every day since you were a kid,” said Svensson. “These are the kinds of games you want to play, these are games you’ll remember after your career.
“I’m expecting a lot [from Thursday]. I hope that it’s going to be an amazing night, not only for us but for the fans as well.”
