Seattle Sounders captain Brad Evans insisted on Thursday that despite the team’s slow start to the new MLS season, spirits are high heading into the team’s matchup against the Montreal Impact this weekend.
Evans told ESPNFC on Thursday afternoon that the feeling in the Sounders' locker room has been surprisingly strong during the team’s first-ever 0-3 start to an MLS season, in large part because the team has been up the challenge in every game.
“If you get blown out, that’s one thing,” Evans said. “Some changes gotta be made, some heads have to roll. But at this time, the mood is positive. We just gotta get this first win and everything will roll from there.”
It’s unclear if Evans will suit up when the Sounders take on the Impact on Saturday evening (7 p.m. PT; Q13 FOX/Univision Seattle/ROOT Sports (outside Seattle)/KIRO 97.3 FM/El Rey 1360 AM) as he continues to recover from a separated shoulder injury suffered on March 6 in the team's home opener. Evans resumed full training earlier this week with a shoulder brace, but head coach Sigi Schmid didn’t tip his hat either way if the Sounders captain will return.
The team’s loss to Vancouver Whitecaps FC on March 19 marked the first time in franchise history that the Sounders have started a season with three straight losses. They’ve also never lost three consecutive home games in MLS play, something they’re hoping to avoid this weekend in yet another quest to win the first MLS Cup in franchise history.
“Definitely, that pressure mounts,” Evans said. “Nine years into it, you hope that this is the year. We feel confident inside, but yeah, the pressure does build a bit.”
Evans didn’t get called for the U.S. national team’s recent set of World Cup qualifying matches against Guatemala due to his shoulder injury, but he said he watched both legs and came away with some optimism as the USMNT inches toward the 2018 World Cup.
He also questioned the USMNT’s lack of a consistent style, however, and said results like the team’s 4-0 win over Guatemala on Tuesday night are still par for the course for the U.S.
“I think about this a lot. Do we need a style of play?” Evans said. “Everybody wants us to play beautiful soccer, but it comes from the top. I’ve had seven different nationalities coach me, with seven different philosophies. When you look at Brazil, they play the beautiful game, because every player has been coached exactly the same way from top to bottom.
“Until we have that … sometimes we gotta grind out results and play in home venues like Columbus to get those good results."
