With the unwavering spirit that the Sounders have shown all season, they were able to turn the table on the LA Galaxy and come back from a two-goal deficit in Sunday night’s 2-2 draw.
The result forces a winner-take-all showdown with the Galaxy on Saturday in Seattle - with a draw or win giving the Supporters’ Shield to Sounders FC for the first time in club history.
“I think we showed character,” Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid said after the match. “I thought we were unlucky. After the first 15, 20 minutes, I thought we created the better chances from then on. We were unlucky not to get a goal from Dempsey in the first half, and Oba had a couple of good looks.
“But then I was really proud of the character of our team, being able to come back, lock it up at 2-2, and be knocking on the door to take it away.”
After goals from the Galaxy on either side of the halftime break, Schmid’s squad could have folded and gone home without any momentum. They wouldn’t allow that however and clawed back into the match with two quick goals from Clint Dempsey and Lamar Neagle.
The draw, which included a red card to the Galaxy’s All-Star defender Omar Gonzalez, gives the Sounders the upper hand heading into Saturday’s season finale.
“We leave with a good feeling,” said Dempsey of the trip back to the Emerald City. “We got a point, and we know going into the final (match) that if we get a draw or get a win, we’ll finish at the top.”
With the Supporters’ Shield on the line, CenturyLink Field will draw the attention of the U.S. soccer community on Saturday and with the stadium fully open for one of the biggest matches in club history.
“It will be a difficult game, a very important game,” Dempsey said of the atmosphere he expects next weekend. “I think our fans will be up for it. We’ll be up for it. That’s what it’s all about: playing in important games like that.”
The Sounders and Galaxy have been the two best teams in MLS during the regular season and Saturday’s conclusion will surely prove that with a trophy up for grabs.