TUKWILA, Wash. -- The Seattle Sounders are coming off a successful road trip, bagging two victories in their last three matches, all of which came away from the friendly confines of CenturyLink Field.
But the purposeful possession play that the Sounders employed in those victories was arguably even more impressive than the results themselves, and has become the prevailing storyline surrounding the team leading up to this Saturday’s return home against Sporting Kansas City (10 pm ET, MLS Live).
In Seattle’s 3-1 triumph over New York City FC on May 3 to open the road trip, forward Obafemi Martinsscored the Sounders’ final goal after an 18-pass build-up.
The theme carried over into last weekend’s 2-0 victory Vancouver which included more sequences where the Sounders connected more than 15 consecutive passes, including a goal from forward Chad Barrett that came after a run of 25 passes in a row.
It was a display that goalkeeper Stefan Frei described as “clinical,” allowing the Sounders to essentially play keep-away with the normally speedy and dangerous Whitecaps attack in the second half to provide expert protection of a two-goal lead courtesy of Barrett’s first-half brace.
“It’s something we’ve been working on because it seems to fit the character of this team,” Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid said this week. “Every team is different. Even if you think, ‘Ah, it’s basically the same team with a lot of the same players,’ each team each year takes on a little bit of a different dynamic. That’s just the dynamic of this team.”
Some of Seattle’s recent ball-hogging ways can likely be attributed to increased chemistry. Many of the Sounders regulars, particularly in the midfield, have now played together long enough where their understanding of one another’s tendencies has reached another level.
“I think it’s just kind of the natural occurrence of things,” midfielder Lamar Neagle said. “Us playing more and more together and getting more comfortable with each other and being more fluid throughout the field. It’s just confidence.”
“Everybody’s been on the other side of that,” Barrett added after Seattle’s Tuesday practice. “When [your opponent] has the ball the entire time it’s like playing Real Madrid or Barcelona. They just don’t give up the ball. …Our video today was pretty much all on possession and we had spells where they were a minute or a minute and a half long. That’s really deflating for the other team.”
The Sounders hope the return home helps them continue their recent run of turning possession into goals. Following the three-game road trip, Seattle – which sits in third in the West with 19 points – now have three consecutive home games starting with Saturday’s clash with SKC.
“There’s nine points out there,” Barrett said of the upcoming homestand. “If we get these nine points, we can really put some separation between us and the next guys. That’s our objective. We’re looking to take nine out of nine. We want to turn our home into a fortress.”
