The Seattle Sounders had a bye over the weekend, which resulted in a two-week hiatus between the last match (a 1-0 home loss to Montreal Impact) and the next one (Sunday at Sporting Kansas City; 1 p.m. PT; ESPN, YouTube TV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM).
“We will be off for a couple days,” Head Coach Brian Schmetzer said on Friday afternoon. “You need some time away, you need some time off. These stretches of two weeks of not having a game — [the players] get sick of the coaches yelling at them. They got to have some time away and they use it to be with their families, their kids. But be prepared to come back to work next week because it’s a work week.”
Last week, the Sounders, who opened the 2018 MLS campaign with three losses, fixated on their own game and didn’t think about their next opponent.
“This week, for us, was focusing on what we need to correct,” Schmetzer added on Friday. “We will dive into [SKC] next week…We will prepare for them more as the week progresses.”
Last week ended with a full intra-squad scrimmage in the pouring rain at Starfire on Saturday morning. After off days on Sunday and Monday, the club shifts its eyes on first-place Sporting KC. SKC topped LA Galaxy 2-0 on Saturday and leads the Western Conference with a 4-1-1 record.
“Every team in our league has a different nuance,” Schmetzer said. “[SKC has] their 4-3-3 — it’s way different than Montreal. We have to prepare. We have to prepare for every team, every opponent.”
SKC is led by Chilean Designated Player Felipe Gutierrez, who has five goals in five appearances. With a back line that features USMNT veterans Graham Zusi and Matt Besler and reigning MLS Defender of the Year Ike Opara, the Sounders have a difficult test ahead on Sunday.
Amidst the challenges of this injury-plagued campaign, Osvaldo Alonso could make his 2018 debut this weekend. The 32-year-old midfielder is back to fully training with the squad after a quad injury last fall.
“He’s hungry,” Schmetzer said. “He’s hungry to get on the field and make an impact. He will get that energy out of [his teammates].”
