TUKWILA, Wash. — Six months and a day. When the Seattle Sounders host the Colorado Rapids in the first leg of the Western Conference Championship on Tuesday, Nov. 22 (7 p.m. PT; FS1, KIRO Radio 97.3 FM, El Rey 1360AM), that’s how long it will have been since the two teams last faced each other.
The Rapids defeated the Sounders 1-0 on May 21 at CenturyLink Field on a header from defender Axel Sjoberg. But so much has changed in Seattle in the half a year since.
Brian Schmetzer took over as interim head coach and then received the full-time job. The Sounders signed Designated Player Nicolas Lodeiro, who is a finalist for MLS Newcomer of the Year. Center back Roman Torres returned after missing most of the year recovering from an ACL tear.
With so much time in between meetings — the teams played their two regular-season contests, both Rapids wins, just 28 days apart in April and May — it offers the question of how a team prepares for such an unfamiliar opponent.
“We do what we need to do,” said Schmetzer. “We don’t like to change too much to other teams. Obviously there’s subtle tactics that you use to try and gain an advantage, but we’re trying to get our team right and firing on all cylinders and what we do best.”
That preparation can be tested in the two-plus weeks the teams have off between rounds in the 2016 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. Each team last played Nov. 6. The MLS Players Union mandated that the teams have three days off in between rounds, and there is a real difficulty in staying mentally sharp and focused on the task at hand.
The Sounders’ main challenge heading into the series will be adapting to however the Rapids choose to play. Colorado could come out defensively and pack it in, much like what FC Dallas unsuccessfully attempted to do to Seattle in the conference semifinals. Or Colorado could press and look to steal a crucial away goal. Seattle is prepping for both scenarios.
“It’s a bit of puzzle, a bit of a chess [match] for us,” said captain Brad Evans, who is recently back to full participation in training after working through a nagging calf injury. “A team like that has been so consistent this year…We watched a little bit of that tape today to see how we can keep creating chances and getting shots on goal, that’s key for us especially at home.”
One thing the Sounders certainly have not forgotten in the six months since their last meeting with the Rapids is how good defensive midfielders Sam Cronin and ex-Sounder Micheal Azira are. They’re two No. 6s who clog the middle and alleviate the pressure on their back line by breaking up balls over the top to attacking forwards and blocking shots from distance.
“Mike reads passes very well so he’s good at intercepting balls and he wins his fair share of duels even though he’s not a big guy,” said Evans. “Sam is more of an enforcer. He’ll be the one to get stuck in and really get after you, but he’ll be the one to spray balls and spring their attack also.”
The Rapids will enter the series rather undermanned. They just lost goalkeeper Tim Howard for the remainder of the postseason after he underwent surgery to repair a fractured adductor longus. Attacking threats Shkelzen Gashi and Marco Pappa are doubtful for the first leg as they recover from a sprained ankle and a hamstring injury, respectively. Midfielder Jermaine Jones also just logged 160 minutes for the United States national team in two World Cup Qualifying matches over the FIFA international break.
There are a lot of question marks for head coach Pablo Mastroeni. but the Sounders will be ready to face whoever the Rapids employ on Tuesday and whatever they throw at them.
“They’ll say that they flew under the radar, but we’re smart enough to know that they’re one of the best teams in the league this year,” said Evans. “We have our work cut out for us.”
