In 2023, the Sounders boasted one of the elite defenses across Major League Soccer, conceding just 32 goals in league play (T-1st in MLS) and recording 14 shutouts (1st in MLS). Fast forward to this season, and Seattle’s defensive grit has been on full display as they allowed just 34 goals (1st in MLS) and tallied 13 clean sheets (1st in MLS).
“Defense wins championships,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “It's true in many different sports, certainly in ours.”
This philosophy coincides with the personnel on the roster that has helped the club reach significant heights in the last decade. From winning a Supporters’ Shield and a U.S. Open Cup in 2014, two MLS Cup titles (2016, 19), and a Concacaf Champions League Trophy (2022), the club's overall success has largely been attributed to the team’s defense.
“When we're winning a bunch of championships, Nico [Lodeiro], I mean, he was always a willing and able defender, Raúl [Ruidíaz] to his credit, Jordan [Morris], Albert [Rusnák] knows his roles and responsibilities,” said Schmetzer. “The midfielders always have to do it by design of the position…And then you get back to stellar goalkeeping and a great center back pairing of Yeimar and Jackson [Ragen] and, then Nouhou being a lockdown type defender.”
Beginning with Stefan Frei making crucial saves in the back, all the way to Morris counter pressing in the offensive half, the collaborative effort on defense is the defining factor of how the team has remained a contender in the Western Conference for the past two years.
Now, the Sounders are looking to utilize this area of expertise come Nov. 23 when the team travels to BMO Stadium to take on LAFC in the Western Conference Semifinals.
“[It’s about] making sure that when we do find spells of possession, or we're maybe pushing a little bit, that we're also accounting for some of those weapons that they have, because at times, they really like to cheat up top and they've shown that when they do that and they take that risk, they're quite ruthless and take advantage of anything that pops out,” said Frei. “So we have to be very aware of that.”
Frei describes this tactic as “resting defense,” beginning with players up top.
“It's mainly instilling a sense of how we are recovering and delaying and allowing us to get back into good shape…clogging up lanes and then making them have to really find something rather than the path is clear and they just go forward.”
The standard is high for the Sounders side when it comes to their defensive performances on the pitch. This was especially evident after their Round One series victory over Houston Dynamo, in which they conceded just one goal across both matches.
“I think defensively, we struggled a little bit more than usual,” said Cristian Roldan. “If we perform like that in the next round, it's going to be a difficult playoffs for us.”
A strong defensive showing is a necessity in any MLS match, but especially in the playoffs when your next opponent is the No. 1 seed.
“It's time to try to go after [LAFC] with everything we've got,” said Frei. “I think if we play to the best of our abilities, it's going to be a really good game.”
