One streak ends, one streak continues.
Sounders FC’s MLS-record streak of consecutive minutes without allowing a goal from the run of play ended at 949 minutes on Saturday, but a 2-2 draw against the Vancouver Whitecaps extends the Rave Green’s unbeaten run to 11 matches (7-0-4; 25 points). The impressive run is just one result shy of matching the league record for longest unbeaten streak to open a season.
Despite it not being counted as a loss, Saturday’s result felt that way for Head Coach Brian Schmetzer.
“I'm a guy that hates to lose and that is a loss,” Schmetzer told media after the match. “I mean, a tie is like a loss. But, you know, do we drop points at home? Yeah, you can say that… Internally, I think a lot of those guys in that locker room they felt in their gut this was again some points dropped at home.”
Even in the moments after the match, Schmetzer was already discussing what the team, including the coaching staff, could have done to earn all three points against their Cascadia rival.
“We as a coaching staff certainly are looking inward first, to see what we did...what we perhaps didn't do to prepare the team. You know, in those moments, we thought our preparation for this game certainly came fast and furious after the Wednesday game. Did we do all the recovery? Did we message them right? Did we show them the film? Did we actually understand, you know, Vancouver's tactics with two wingers playing very wide and how that was going to impact us?
“Did we as coaches give the players the tools to be successful? That's what I'll be reflecting on and we'll just keep moving forward.”
There was silver lining in Saturday’s effort, though. Aside it from giving up the two goals, Schmetzer valued the team’s ability to overcome the deficit and get a result. Already fielding a thin roster due to several key injuries — namely
Stefan Frei, Nicolás Lodeiro, Jordan Morris, Nouhou and Jordy Delem — and Xavier Arreaga away with Ecuador’s national team, the squad found an equalizer in their third match in seven days.
“What I complimented the team that after the game, was they never quit, you know, a lot of teams in MLS, they go down, end up losing all the points,” Schmetzer said. “I will do some reflection to make sure we get them ready.”
Sounders FC returns to action this weekend for a Fourth of July visit to the Colorado Rapids (6:00 p.m. PT | JOEtv,
Prime Video, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM).
