There’s a cliché in soccer that 2-0 is the most dangerous lead.
That old adage proved to be true on Wednesday night as the Sounders overturned a two-goal deficit to draw against the Houston Dynamo.
It looked as though the mid-week match in Houston was the Dynamo’s for the taking after the first 45, but the Sounders had other plans in mind. Despite entering the second half down by two, Seattle managed to climb back and close out the 90 minutes with a 2-2 result and a point on the road.
“To get a result when you didn't put the best 90-minute performance together, that's what a great team does over the course of the season,” said defender Jackson Ragen.
The goals from midfielder Paul Rothrock and Ragen in the 57th and 63rd minutes were not only a reflection of the talent of the team, but the overall mentality shift that ultimately changed the trajectory of the match.
“We showed a lot of grit and a lot of character tonight,” said Rothrock. “That's a really hard thing to do in this type of weather, coming off a game over the weekend…I don't think it was a lucky result by any means.”
The belief in one another was the overarching factor in the hard-fought result against the Texas side.
“We came together as a group,” said Rothrock. “The team put in a really good effort, we had large spells of possession late in the game, so if anything, it was a well-deserved point on the road.”
The Sounders had the potential to come out on top with the performance that was showcased in the last 45, but Head Coach Brian Schmetzer was satisfied with the outcome given there was little recovery time from the last match against Minnesota United.
“It's massive,” said Schmetzer. “The turnaround is a testament that this is a really good team.”
From defeating the Loons at home over the weekend, to securing a point in a road match just a few days later, the Sounders are moving in a positive direction and hope to continue that momentum as they look ahead to Saturday’s home match against FC Dallas (7:30 p.m. PT; MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, 93.3 KJR FM, El Rey 1360AM | TICKETS).
“They never quit,” said Schmetzer. “For them to come back and play in the second half as well as they did, that is going to help us with Dallas because Dallas had a big win tonight too.”
