It wasn't a pretty match but the Sounders resolve has been strong this season and according to team, that will continue.
CARSON, Calif. – Seattle’s three-match winning streak and six-match unbeaten streak both came to an end on Sunday in stunning fashion with a 4-0 loss to the LA Galaxy at The Home Depot Center. Robbie Keane scored three goals for the Galaxy and assisted on the fourth, all in the first half, as the Sounders dropped to 4-4-3 on the season with their first loss since March 30.
Here are four things we learned from the defeat.
One of 34
After consecutive run-away victories over the San Jose Earthquakes and FC Dallas, the Sounders were riding a tidal wave of momentum into Sunday’s match with LA. But just as they are a club that may not be as good as the 8-2 combined scorelines of their home wins over San Jose and Dallas might indicate, they also probably aren’t as bad as the 4-0 trouncing from the Galaxy. The true Sounders team lies somewhere in between and just how good they can be will be determined over the long haul of the season.
“When you beat San Jose 4-0 that’s not going to say you’re going to win every game 4-0 and when you lose here 4-0 that’s not going to say you’re going to lose every game 4-0,” Schmid said. “You have to evaluate a body of work. You can’t react to an individual game or individual 10 minutes or a half or whatever. There’s got to be some accountability and we’ll address that.”
MLS is ahead of the curve
Robbie Rogers made his debut for the LA Galaxy on Sunday and it was much bigger than a former US National Team midfielder joining a new club. Rogers is the first openly gay male athlete to compete in a US professional sport, making his entrance to the match in the 77th minute quite the historic moment. For Rogers, though, his time on the field felt “normal,” showing a bit of the progressive mentality maintained in Major League Soccer.
“It was perfect. It was really perfect,” Rogers said. “I keep saying the word normal but it was. Once I got on, and obviously (got) the support, I just kind of zoned in and was hoping to maybe get a goal or something. So, it’s just good to be back and I’m excited to move on from here.”
Moving on
Speaking of moving on, the Sounders will need to do just that to get beyond the 4-0 defeat. They have quality leadership in their locker room and players like Michael Gspurning and Mauro Rosales are the types to step forward, take responsibility and right the ship.
“It’s absolutely not up to our standard and we have to sit together and talk about this one,” Gspurning said. “It’s important we stay together and sometimes instead of pointing fingers we as a team need to join together and figure it out.”
Added Rosales, “It wasn’t our best game. From our form to our rhythm that we’ve had from past games, we did not have it today. Today the first half was really a disaster. We have to move forward. It’s tough to solve but the team has enough experience to step up in the next few games.”
Tip of the cap
Sometimes a player just has a good game and when that player is of the caliber of Robbie Keane, it can spell doom. That was the case on Sunday, as Keane had a three goals and an assist to lead the Galaxy to the victory. He is of a unique pedigree in MLS, having scored 210 goals during a career in Europe that saw him play in England, Italy and Scotland before he came to the Galaxy in 2011 and he’s been among the top players in the league. He scored 16 goals in 2012 to finish fourth in the league in scoring and after his hattrick on Sunday is back into rhythm with five goals while appearing in just six of the Galaxy’s 12 matches on the season.
“He was absolutely all over us,” goalkeeper Michael Gspurning said. “He showed his great quality today.”
