Sounders face Atlanta United in thrilling battle this weekend

This Sunday’s match between the Seattle Sounders and Eastern Conference side Atlanta United will be one to watch.

It’ll be competitive to say the least as both teams look to kick off their return to MLS regular season play on a high note. 

“We want to start off this last stretch with a victory,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “Home games are certainly important.” 

In the weeks leading up to the upcoming match against Atlanta, the Rave Green have been focusing on getting back to the basics and improving on what was lacking in games prior. 

“We’ve tried to cover all the bases of defending, attacking and set pieces,” said Schmetzer. “So, we got a lot accomplished in this block of training.”

But with the upcoming match right around the corner, the last few days have been centered around specific tactics in relation to their head-to-head battle with the Georgia squad. 

“This week, it's all just preparing for Atlanta,” said veteran forward Jordan Morris. “We know they're a good team.”

Morris specifically mentioned the Sounders’ preparation to be “organized defensively” with the amount of talent that makes up Atlanta’s offense. 

“[Thiago] Almada is just a really special player so I think a big focus of ours is going to have to be shutting him down in transition moments because he can create so much, " said Morris. [Giorgos] Giakoumakis up front is also a really good finisher while Caleb [Wiley] and Brooks [Lennon] on the wings play in really good balls.” 

Morris also touched upon Seattle’s “need to be more creative in the attacking third and look to transition.”

It’s the two teams’ first and only head-to-head battle this season, making the matchup that much more riveting for either side.  

This is especially true with the Sounders former GM & President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey and former Assistant Coach Gonzalo Pineda making first-time appearances at Lumen Field since their departure from the club. Lagerwey now serves as the president and chief executive officer for Atlanta United while Pineda is the current head coach for the organization. 

“Both of those gentlemen were involved in a lot of our success, so it's fitting [to have them back],” said Schmetzer. 

Preparation is necessary leading up to Sunday’s match, but above all, the Sounders need to have belief in themselves to execute a successful outcome this weekend.

Morris said it perfectly.

“It's about us playing our game and focusing on what we can do to break them down.”