#schmetzer

USA Today Sports Images

November 3, 20187:29PM EDT

TUKWILA, Wash. – The first leg of an MLS playoff series can often turn into a grind-it-out, defensive battle.

But for the Seattle Sounders, Leg 1 of their Western Conference Semifinal matchup in the 2018 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs against the Portland Timbers (5:30 pm ET | ESPN, TSN5, TVAS2) doesn’t feel like it’s lining up to be that type of occasion.

The first reason is obvious: Seattle’s attack has been firing on all cylinders for much of the second of the season, fueled by playmaking midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro and red-hot striker Raul Ruidiaz. But there’s also a key absence in the Portland back line in the form of starting center back Larrys Mabiala, who will be suspended for Sunday’s opener due to a red card he picked up in the Knockout Round against FC Dallas.

It’s an absence that might leave the likes of Ruidiaz and Lodeiro licking their chops ahead of Sunday’s opener, although Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said on Saturday he wasn’t planning on having his team sit back regardless.

“The strategy is the same,” Schmetzer said. “We were going to attack whether [Mabiala] was on the field or not. You have to.

“With the importance of road goals, sometimes the advantage can swing both ways. If you [don’t get a road goal] and then they come up here and have the advantage – there’s lots of little nuances that make things exciting and challenging for all the tacticians at home watching. So we understand the importance of trying to play and score goals [in the first leg].”

Coming out firing usually always come with the risk of getting exposed on the other end of the field, a balance Schmetzer said his team will need to be cognizant of managing when it comes to bottling up Portland’s always-dangerous counterattack.  In order to do that, Seattle will likely have to contend with a different face than the Timbers fielded in any of the three regular-season matches between the sides in 2018.

That would be 21-year-old forward Jeremy Ebobisse, who seems to have locked down the starting forward job for the Timbers over teammate Samuel Armenteros. Expecting Ebobisse to shoulder a lot of the attacking load against the Sounders’ experienced back line might seem like a tall order on paper, but Schmetzer pointed out on Saturday that there’s a reason the young forward earned more minutes as the season progressed.

“Credit to the kid. He’s come on and done a good job,” Schmetzer said. “Whoever they put out there, we’ll be ready for him. We’ll watch all the film. We know Portland pretty well, so we’re not concerned about it. We’ll prepare as best we can.

“Gio [Savarese] has done a fantastic job. He’s not afraid to plug and play guys. Ebobisse is a young kid and he’s got some money on the hook for some other guys that are on the bench. So he’s not afraid to play young guys and he’s not afraid to tinker with his lineup choices to get the right mix.”

Either way, Schmetzer said he expects Sunday’s match to be close and hotly contested, as they usually are between the Cascadia rivals. In the three matches the Sounders and Timbers played during the regular season, all three were decided by a single goal, with the final aggregate scoreline coming out to 4-3 in favor of Portland.

“You know it’s a rivalry match,” Schmetzer said. “The three games earlier in the year were all settled by one goal. … They were all tight games, rivalry matches, so we’ll be up for it.”

<!–

Stay connected: Get access to breaking news, videos, and analysis from North America’s best soccer reporters via “This Week in MLS” newsletter or using our FREE mobile app.

–>

Stay connected: The all-new, completely redesigned, FREE official MLS app is your best mobile source for scores, news, analysis and highlights. Download:  App Store  |  Google Play

#block-block-188 {padding:0;} #stay-connected {border-top:1px solid #ebebeb;margin:20px 0;} #stay-connected p {margin:0;color:#4d4d4d;line-height:1.5em;} @media screen and (max-width: 730px) { #stay-connected {padding:8px 6px 0 6px;width:100%;} } @media screen and (min-width: 731px) and (max-width: 1120px) { #stay-connected {padding:8px 6px 0 6px;width:100%;} } @media screen and (min-width: 1121px) { #stay-connected {padding:8px 6px 0 6px;width:708px;} }

MLSsoccer.com News

USA Today Sports

July 13, 20187:07PM EDT

TUKWILA, Wash. – The Seattle Sounders aren’t exactly accustomed to road trips like the one they’re about to take to Atlanta.

The Sounders are used to being the spectacle. But when Seattle take on Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday (2 pm ET | FOX – Full TV & Streaming Info), they’ll be rolling into the only venue in MLS that draws bigger crowds than they do, to take on an opponent on a mission to supplant them as the league’s gold standard in terms of what an new team can achieve at the outset of its existence.

That might make for somewhat unfamiliar territory, but speaking with reporters this week, Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said he hopes the magnitude of the stage ends up being a net positive.

“I think our guys are used to big crowds and big atmospheres,” Schmetzer said on Thursday. “We’ve got a lot of big-time players who have played in big venues, pressure moments, stuff like that. I don’t think there’s anything negative about it. I’m hoping it actually has the opposite effect – that we go down there and go, ‘Hey, this is really cool, this is a big event. Let’s get after it.’ That’s what I’m hoping for.”

If the Sounders blazed the trail with their success out of the gate in their expansion season of 2009 – both in terms of fan support and the on-field product — Atlanta are currently in the process of pushing that to the next level in their second MLS season. Home crowds at Mercedes-Benz Stadium are known to push 70,000 – a number the Sounders have yet to hit despite their own sterling attendance numbers.

The Five Stripes are pushing the envelope on the field too, with a high-priced, star-studded attacking juggernaut of a roster that currently has them leading the Supporters’ Shield standings. They may have taken parts of the blueprint from Seattle’s playbook, but Schmetzer said that’s just smart business, likening it to what the Sounders’ brass did when they visited other successful expansion franchises ahead of their ’09 MLS launch.

“If something worked, you’re going to go out there and try and find some information that might work in your particular market,” Schmetzer said. “So, kudos to them. They’ve done a great job. But you could say there were other teams in their era that were the trailblazers, the trendsetters. And we certainly think of ourselves as one of those teams.”

For Seattle, the stakes of Sunday’s match would be high enough even without all those external factors. The Sounders head into the weekend at 4-9-4 and 10 points below the playoff line for the postseason. They’re also currently last in MLS with just 15 goals in 17 matches.

With his paperwork coming through, newly signed Peruvian striker Raul Ruidiaz could be in line to make his team debut to offer some attacking reinforcements. But Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei said priority No. 1 will have to be finding some way to stop an Atlanta attack that has netted 42 times and posted a +19 goal differential – both league-best numbers.

“I think they’ve played some very aggressive football, very attacking minded and obviously went out and purchased some high quality players,” said Frei. “Very dangerous side, very quick, very pacy, very young and energetic group. So, a difficult side to play against, especially at their place. It’s going to be difficult.”

<!–

Stay connected: Get access to breaking news, videos, and analysis from North America’s best soccer reporters via “This Week in MLS” newsletter or using our FREE mobile app.

–>

Stay connected: The all-new, completely redesigned, FREE official MLS app is your best mobile source for scores, news, analysis and highlights. Download:  App Store  |  Google Play

#block-block-188 {padding:0;} #stay-connected {border-top:1px solid #ebebeb;margin:20px 0;} #stay-connected p {margin:0;color:#4d4d4d;line-height:1.5em;} @media screen and (max-width: 730px) { #stay-connected {padding:8px 6px 0 6px;width:100%;} } @media screen and (min-width: 731px) and (max-width: 1120px) { #stay-connected {padding:8px 6px 0 6px;width:100%;} } @media screen and (min-width: 1121px) { #stay-connected {padding:8px 6px 0 6px;width:708px;} }

MLSsoccer.com News

Schmetzer: Seattle Sounders' lineup vs. LAFC a result of CCL fixtures

Anne-Marie Sorvin/USA Today Sports March 5, 20186:22PM EST SEATTLE – The Seattle Sounders have made no secret about the fact that they’re serious about trying to make a sustained run in this year’s CONCACAF Champions League tournament. General manager Garth Lagerwey has talked repeatedly about wanting to perform well in CCL, dating back to when the club first hired him in 2015. Head…

Schmetzer: Seattle Sounders' lineup vs. LAFC a result of CCL fixtures

Anne-Marie Sorvin/USA Today Sports March 5, 20186:22PM EST SEATTLE – The Seattle Sounders have made no secret about the fact that they’re serious about trying to make a sustained run in this year’s CONCACAF Champions League tournament. General manager Garth Lagerwey has talked repeatedly about wanting to perform well in CCL, dating back to when the club first hired him in 2015. Head…

Anne-Marie Sorvin/USA Today Sports

March 5, 20186:22PM EST

SEATTLE – The Seattle Sounders have made no secret about the fact that they’re serious about trying to make a sustained run in this year’s CONCACAF Champions League tournament.

General manager Garth Lagerwey has talked repeatedly about wanting to perform well in CCL, dating back to when the club first hired him in 2015. Head coach Brian Schmetzer has echoed the sentiment as well during Seattle’s 2018 preseason.

So, it should come as no surprise that the Sounders fielded a rotated lineup in their 1-0 season-opening defeat against LAFC at CenturyLink Field on Sunday, with an eye towards their upcoming CCL quarterfinal home fixture against Chivas Guadalajara of Liga MX on Wednesday (10 pm ET | UDN, go90.com).

“There were some choices with rest,” Schmetzer explained after the defeat to LA. “There were some choices with injury concerns. Those are the reasons why.”

The result was a starting XI that didn’t feature stalwarts like Clint Dempsey and Chad Marshall. Defensive midfielder Jordy Delem drew the start at right back while youngsters like Tony Alfaro, Henry Wingo and Handwalla Bwana all also saw heavy minutes. Despite a flurry of chances, the group that took the field couldn’t quite overcome LAFC forward Diego Rossi’s 11th-minute tally that would hold as the game-winner.

Schmetzer said that he and his coaching did consider putting Dempsey in the 18 on Sunday and potentially using him as a second-half substitute. But with Wednesday’s quarterfinal match against Chivas looming, he ultimately decided against it.

“There was some discussion but we decided against that,” Schmetzer said. “That’s one of those choices I have to wear. Could he have come on as a late sub? Maybe. We’re trying to limit his minutes early on, we’re trying to make sure he’s ready for Wednesday.”

It certainly wasn’t an ideal start to the 2018 MLS regular season for the Sounders, with the defeat just the second loss they’ve sustained in the friendly confines of CenturyLink under Schmetzer since he took over halfway through 2016.

But given the fixture congestion that his squad is currently dealing with, as well as the injuries to a few of his key depth pieces, Schmetzer said he’s not ready to call Sunday’s defeat a sign that Seattle is going to fall prey to the type of slow start in MLS play that has plagued them the last two seasons.

“I think it’s too early – after one game in the middle of this fixture congestion, plus the injuries we’re dealing with right now – I think it’s a little early for that assessment,” he said. “I certainly have that in the back of my mind, the coaches, the trainers, the medical staff, we all need to make sure guys are healthy, ready to go after a short offseason.

“So, ask me that question after a few more league matches and then I’ll be able to better answer it.”

#block-block-188 {padding:0;} #stay-connected {border-top:1px solid #ebebeb;margin:20px 0;} #stay-connected p {margin:0;color:#4d4d4d;line-height:1.5em;} @media screen and (max-width: 730px) { #stay-connected {padding:8px 6px 0 6px;width:100%;} } @media screen and (min-width: 731px) and (max-width: 1120px) { #stay-connected {padding:8px 6px 0 6px;width:100%;} } @media screen and (min-width: 1121px) { #stay-connected {padding:8px 6px 0 6px;width:708px;} }

hr.top-border-fade {background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) linear-gradient(to right, #ffffff 0%, #dfdfdf 50%, #ffffff 100%) repeat scroll 0 0;margin:20px 0 0 0;clear:both;border:0;height:1px;color:#dfdfdf;} .merch-block { background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) radial-gradient(50% 30px at 50% 100% , #ebebeb 0%, #fff 110%) repeat scroll 0 0; /* border-top:1px solid #ebebeb; */ padding:15px 15px 22px 15px; } .item, .copy {display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle;} .item {line-height:0;} .item img {line-height:0;} .copy p {margin:0;} .copy p.merch-block-text {font-size:1.0em;line-height:1.40em;} .copy p.merch-block-title {font-size:1.4em;margin-bottom:3px;font-family:’din_regular’,’Helvetica Neue’, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;;} @media screen and (max-width: 730px) { .item {margin:0 15px;line-height:0;} .merch-block .item img {width:100%;height:auto;} .copy {margin:20px 0 0 0;} .wide {display:none;} } @media screen and (min-width: 731px) and (max-width: 1120px) { .item {margin-right:20px;line-height:0;} .merch-block .item img {width:120px;height:auto;} .copy {width:70%;} } @media screen and (min-width: 1121px) { .item {margin-right:20px;line-height:0;} .merch-block .item img {width:165px;height:auto;} .copy {width:70%;} .copy p.merch-block-title {font-size:1.3em;} }

MLSsoccer.com News