TUKWILA, Wash. – When it comes to the current Western Conference standings, the Colorado Rapids and Seattle Sounders have traded places in 2016.
The Rapids currently sit in third place in the West after finishing dead last in 2015, while the Sounders currently sit in eighth after finishing fourth last season.
Although the Sounders hold a 13-3-2 all-time record against the Rapids and have earned six points in their last two trips to Commerce City, this time they will ride into Dick’s Sporting Goods Park as underdogs on Saturday (6 p.m. PT; Q13 FOX/KIRO 97.3 FM/EL Rey 1360AM).
“They’re a team obviously that’s very confident right now,” head coach Sigi Schmid said of the Rapids. “They’ve won all their home games, so they’re a team that’s very confident. They’re at a different end of the table than they’ve found themselves over the last couple of years.”
A big contribution to Colorado’s success has come from a number of offseason acquisitions that they’ve made, including names like Jermaine Jones, Shkëlzen Gashi and former Sounders midfielder Marco Pappa. That group alone has three goals and four assists in six games, despite Jones only being available for one of those games after serving a six-game suspension to open the season.
“Jermaine Jones adds a competitive, winning presence into their midfield,” said Schmid. “Gashi… scored a great goal against Kansas City so they’ve got different personnel for sure and it’s made them a different team and a better team.”
Sounders captain Brad Evans agreed, noting that he and his teammates are expecting a challenge as they head to Commerce City.
“They have the addition of Jermaine now after serving his suspension," said Evans. "That obviously adds a bit of bite and experience and I know he’s got a chip on his shoulder and something to prove, so expect him to be fired up.”
Sounders' Youth Front and Center
The Sounders experienced quite a bit of turnover in the offseason, losing 12 rostered players, seven of which were regulars.
The absence of many of those players has been overshadowed by the transfer of forward Obafemi Martins, the Sounders' reigning MVP and leading goal scorer. But the truth is, the Sounders lost much more than just Martins.
Between Marco Pappa, Lamar Neagle, and Chad Barrett alone, the Sounders have given up some significant firepower. The trio combined for 12 goals and eight assists last season and Neagle played the fourth-most minutes on the team, more than both Martins and forward Clint Dempsey.
Instead of looking for all-out goalscorers to bolster the Sounders' attack, the technical staff has instead opted to develop it with some of the young talent in their pipeline.
“Obviously, those are a lot of goals and you’ve got to give the young guys a chance to develop and grow,” said Schmid. “It’s not going to be immediate sometimes.”
Three of the most promising young players on the team are forward Jordan Morris, forward Oalex Anderson, and midfielder Cristian Roldan. Together, they’ve played an integral role so far and have combined for 1069 out of 1620 possible minutes, and each player is at least two years under the Olympic age.
“Oalex has caused some danger, he’ll keep working,” continued Schmid. “Morris finally got his goal, he’ll keep working. All of those guys have had good moments. Roldan’s done well but he’s still 20 years old so you’ve got to allow young players, you’ve got to give them some time and give them some encouragement.”
