TUKWILA, Wash. - Seattle Sounders FC 2 are riding high after their fourth straight victory on Monday against Real Monarchs SLC. S2 claimed both their largest margin of victory in the 4-1 win and extended their longest win streak of the season thus far.
“We’re feeling really confident with how we’re playing right now,” said defender Michael Nelson. “We’ve really gelled together as a team. Five games unbeaten, four games of winning so we just want to keep that going.”
Keeping that streak alive will be no easy task, though, as next up are Cascadia rivals Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2. The 'Caps have largely dominated the Western Conference this season and still sit on top going into this match.
Still, S2 had the Caps’ number when they earned a 3-2 victory at Starfire Stadium on June 9. Head coach Ezra Hendrickson believes their opponents will be looking to that match as motivation on Saturday.
“It’s always a battle when we play Vancouver,” he said. “When they came down here we beat them so I’m sure they’re going to be thinking about that and their coach is going to remind them of that. When we go there we’re going to expect a very hard fought game.”
With a win on Saturday, S2 have the chance to vault over the red line and into playoff contention, a feat that not many teams expected from them given their early-season form. With a tough, road-heavy schedule ahead, Nelson and his teammates are poised to keep fighting for a playoff berth.
“We’re excited, we’re hungry, the guys really want to finish this off,” he said. “It’s really nice to have a streak and to be playing this well but there’s still a lot more work to do. There’s still nine games left in the season and all that doesn’t really mean anything if you don’t make the playoffs, so that’s the end goal.”
S2 kickoff against Whitecaps 2 on Saturday, Aug. 6th (3 p.m. PT, livestream on SoundersFC.com).
