TUKWILA, Wash. – After ending a marathon month of August on a high note with consecutive victories, the Seattle Sounders hope to keep it rolling into September on the road Wednesday evening against Chivas USA (10:30 pm ET; MLS LIVE).
The matchup is a clash between teams at opposite ends of the Western Conference standings. Seattle (15-7-3) are coming off of a 1-0 home triumph over the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, which allowed the Sounders to keep sole possession of first place in both the Western Conference and the Supporters’ Shield race. Chivas (6-13-6) have lost six of their last seven matches and have not scored a goal since July 20 against D.C. United, a 546-minute scoreless streak that is the longest in MLS this season.
Despite the struggling opponent, Seattle head coach Sigi Schmid said the desire to keep accumulating points is more than enough motivation for his squad to avoid taking the game lightly.
“We need to get points,” Schmid said. “We were the first team this year to get to 30, to get to 40; we want to be the first team to get 50 points. …We’ve just got to go in with the right mentality and right approach. We can’t let down.”
Seattle will be without the services of midfielder Marco Pappa, who has been called to join the Guatemalan national team for the 2014 Copa Centroamericana. Schmid said he expects Pappa to also miss a home clash Sept. 12 against Real Salt Lake, with an expected return for Seattle’s US Open Cup final against the Philadelphia Union on Sept. 16.
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“It changes us a little bit, because Pappa’s style of play is different,” Schmid said. “But that’s neither here nor there. There are enough players who have experience playing out there.”
One candidate for increased minutes in Pappa’s absence figures to be Lamar Neagle, who scored the tying goal in Seattle's come-from-behind 2-1 win over Chivas USA at StubHub Center back on April 19. Neagle has scored five goals in 23 games for Seattle this year but has struggled to find the net in recent weeks.
“I had a little bit of a slump, but it’s just coming out of it. It’s a long season,” Neagle said. “It’s time for other players to step up, and as long as I’m playing, it’s time for me to step up.”
