After a tough 4-1 loss against Cruz Azul to end their Concacaf Champions Cup campaign, the Sounders will look to regroup this weekend as they transition back to Major League Soccer competition.
“We met up against a team that was really good,” said Assistant Coach Freddy Juarez. “As competitors, you're disappointed….[But,] we probably didn't have our best night that night, and we just [need to] move on.”
Seattle now has its sights set on St. Louis CITY SC as the team heads to Energizer Field on Saturday (5:30 p.m. PT; Watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360AM) to face the Midwest side for the first time this season.
Seattle has enjoyed plenty of success against St. Louis since their inaugural season in 2023. Over the last two years, the Rave Green have won all four of their regular season encounters.
“We've always had a pretty good mentality going into St. Louis, and we look to carry that experience onto this game,” said Juarez.
With that, Seattle will need to be prepared to break down a strong defensive St. Louis side that already has three shutouts thus far in 2025.
“They’re dropping a little bit more than they were in the last two years, where they really kind of had the Red Bull mentality in pressing really high, trying to press the whole game,” said Juarez. “Now, they're kind of absorbing a little bit more pressure but still hitting you on the counter attack.”
Along with their solid backline, former Swiss National Team and Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Bürki has helped St. Louis in becoming the only team that has not conceded a goal in league play. Last match, he made eight saves in St. Louis’ 3-0 road victory over LA Galaxy.
“[They] still have a great goalie with good distribution,” said Juarez. “It's going to be a tough game.”
Still, the Sounders have an edge on St. Louis that just might rank above any qualities the Midwest team possesses.
“[In] the lead [up] into this last game, we used a big portion of the roster, which, and thus also gets you thinking, the depth of the roster is something that's going to be very good for us throughout the year,” said Juarez.
The various rotations in the lineup were showcased especially well in the team’s 5-2 win over LAFC.
“When we mixed some guys in for the LAFC game, we knew that group could give us a quality game, because we saw it in pre-season,” added Juarez.
And with the heavy schedule Seattle has been exposed to over the last month and a half, the team is prepared — now more than ever — to take on a team like St. Louis CITY.
“We're four games more than the other teams in MLS, so that's beneficial for us, and having some quality games early in the season is also very beneficial to push us forward,” said Juarez.
