TUCSON, Ariz. — After a week in Chula Vista, Calif., in which the Seattle Sounders focused mostly on getting fit before the start of the 2018 season, this week in Arizona the focus is all about tactics.
The Sounders are tinkering with an alternate lineup and a different formation, a trial process to make sure they’re game-ready for their first competitive action in three weeks against Salvadoran side Santa Tecla in the CONCACAF Champions League. Seattle has two friendlies coming up against fellow MLS sides the Portland Timbers and Columbus Crew SC, two fixtures that will be vitally important for the team to ramp up its intensity.
“We need guys to be 90-minute fit, so there’s no way to get them 90-minute fit unless you actually increase their minutes during the scrimmages,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “We’ll push guys a little bit more than we did against Tijuana, and we’ll just continue the buildup.”
Another crucial part of any beginning of a season is integrating new players into the fold. The Sounders feature several new faces this year, featuring the likes of Homegrown Player Handwalla Bwana, former Crew fullback Waylon Francis and recently acquired Norwegian midfielder Magnus Wolff Eikrem. How well they seamlessly mesh into the team will go a long way in determining how fast Seattle can hit the ground running.
“They’re fitting in,” Schmetzer said of his new personnel. “They’re all working their way into the group. I wouldn’t expect miracles overnight, but they’re eager to come here and prove that they belong. It drives the competition amongst the group, so that’s good to see.”
