After scoring his 11th goal of the season on Sunday and helping lead the Seattle Sounders to a Knockout Round bye in the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs, forward Will Bruin said this opportunity was exactly why he came to the Emerald City this past offseason.
“Personally, I haven’t been in the playoffs the last three years so it feels good to get back,” he said. “[This season has been] kind of a rollercoaster. It was my first time going to a new team other than when I was drafted, so I was feeling out the new environment, getting to know the guys, but everybody here made it really easy for me to feel welcomed.”
Bruin reached double-digit goals for the fourth time in his seven-year career. He has three goals in his last two matches, forced a penalty kick to boot and is clicking at just the right time as the playoffs begin. He sports a 0.54 Goals-per-90-minutes ratio and his ability to stretch defenses has freed up space for Clint Dempsey, Nicolás Lodeiro and Víctor Rodríguez to operate underneath.
“I think he’s been pretty consistent all year long,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “The goals that Will scores are a testament to who he is. He’s a battler, he’s a fighter, he makes his runs into the box really well. I’m really just pleased that he’s scoring some timely goals. But he has a lot of help, he has a lot of teammates who make it a little easier on him.”
Bruin was a super sub at the beginning of the year and did not make his first start until the end of April, which makes his production all the more impressive. He started 15 of the final 18 matches of the regular season, though, and catalyzed a Sounders offense over the last month and a half despite Jordan Morris sidelined with a hamstring injury.
“I just wanted to help the offense as much as I could,” Bruin said. “When I get the opportunity, I want to make the most of it.
“I think it’s clicking pretty well right now,” he continued. “Everybody knows their roles, everybody knows where they need to be. That’s very important tactically on how we’re going to attack. The goals will take care of themselves.”
