SEATTLE — Before the Seattle Sounders’ match against the Chicago Fire on Saturday, captain Osvaldo Alonso told his team that every game from here on out was a final.
Given the Sounders’ early struggles and entering the weekend 11 points off a playoff spot, every match is vital. A 1-1 draw with the Fire left the Sounders feeling like they hadn’t capitalized on an opportunity at home.
“Every game is a final at this point,” Cristian Roldan said candidly. “You can’t lose these games. Mathematically, if we lose a couple more, we’re done. It’s already been a failure to the season, but at this point, we can turn that around. But if we lose a couple [more] games, it’s a complete failure. We have a little bit left to save ourselves from this. We’ve done it before and we’re certainly capable of it, but it’s a matter of not saying it and actually doing it.”
The Sounders will have a massive opportunity to jumpstart themselves when the rival Portland Timbers come to CenturyLink Field in their only match in Seattle this year. Portland sits on 22 points, right above the playoff line, and a huge three points is at stake with a little more than half of the season remaining. The Sounders will need to maintain more possession and not be susceptible to the counterattack, something at which Portland particularly excels. Roldan said that a major focal point will be not falling behind at home in a venue where the club has historically been dominant.
Roldan also reflected heavily on the state of the team and his frustrations were visible. Normally genial, he was rather subdued and disappointed in how the season has gone so far. Seattle hasn’t missed the playoffs in its first nine MLS seasons, but Roldan acknowledged that is certainly a possibility if things don’t turn around quickly.
Clint Dempsey dribbles against the Fire | USA Today Sports
“I think it’s pressure,” Roldan said of having never missed the playoffs. “We don’t motivate ourselves on making the playoffs, we motivate ourselves on winning championships. We motivate ourselves on putting ourselves in the best position possible to win trophies. For me, it’s pressure. Within our fans, within ourselves, within our front office, we owe a lot to the city of Seattle for all the support that they give us. It’s vital and crucial that we make the playoffs.
“At this point, we’re not doing well, that’s the reality, but there’s no giving up on this team,” he added. “If you give up, you’re no longer on the team. You’re fighting for your job, and it’s a business at the end of the day. You’re fighting for your paycheck, and that comes with results and better play.”
A promising sign for Seattle was Clint Dempsey notching his first goal of the season and tying Fredy Montero’s club MLS goalscoring record. Dempsey finished with seven shots and three key passes, but he, too, knows that there is still work to do.
“It’s been a tough season for everybody,” said Dempsey. “Everybody is trying to figure out what we need to do to turn things around…It’s been a tough year for me personally, but for the whole team. We’ve had a lot of injuries and it’s been difficult to create chances. We’re getting guys healthy and you can see we are creating more. Hopefully more goals will come for everybody.”
Roldan was hopeful, too, and mentioned that the Sounders have come back from similar situations before, most notably in the last two years, when Seattle won its first MLS Cup in 2016 and went back to the final in ’17.
“We can look at ourselves in the mirror and we can all say that we can be better,” said Roldan. “It’s not about that, it’s about going into next Saturday and really taking it to Portland. It’s a big game, not only for ourselves, but for them too.”
