TUKWILA, Wash. - Seattle Sounders FC 2 are unbeaten in six straight matches and it's not a moment too soon with playoffs looming and a ways to climb to the red line. S2 are on the right track though as their recent form has raised them out of the basement of the Western Conference and the team is now sitting only one point out of the final playoff spot. After a training session on Tuesday, midfielder Zach Mathers spoke to the media about what’s been behind his team’s recent success.
“I think we’re playing together more as a team,” he said. “At the start of the year we weren’t playing 90 minutes together. I think now we’re getting close to playing 90 minutes together.”
S2 will look to extend their current streak on Saturday when the team travels south to Rio Grande Valley FC Toros for the second of their three match road stand. Head coach Ezra Hendrickson shared some insights on what he expects from Wilmer Cabrera’s side.
“They’re a possession style team,” he said. “It’s going to be a situation at their place where we have to find a way to get the ball. We want to recover the ball and keep it for a certain amount of time, that way we don’t find ourselves defending more than we’re attacking.”
Mathers notes that the weather will play a key role as S2 aren’t accustomed to playing in the kind of heat that Toros are.
“It’s going to be hot down there, and they’re used to it,” he told reporters. “They’re going to be able to run just a little bit further than us. So we have to really manage that game and I think that’s going to be the key for us if we’re going to get three points from it.”
New signing Irvin Parra is anxious to make his debut, but he is still recovering from a minor ankle injury that has kept him limited in practice. His debut this weekend is questionable but Hendrickson provided some information on when fans can expect to see him.
“Hopefully this weekend; he’s still day to day right now,” Hendrickson said. “We’ll know in a couple days if he’s going to be able to go with us on Friday, if not, hopefully for sure by the following week. He’s a good player; we’ve got to get him healthy and get him on the pitch.”
S2 play Rio Grande Valley FC on Saturday (5:30 p.m. PT, livestream on SoundersFC.com).
