CARSON, Calif. – With the sting from the playoff elimination still burning, the brass of the Sounders organization said there’s still work to do.
Despite the accolades, including two US Open Cups and two playoff berths, the consecutive flame-outs in the first round of the playoffs mean the second-year franchise is still not in the upper echelon of MLS.
Both general manager Adrian Hanauer and head coach Sigi Schmid said they will start working on making the 2011 Sounders a better team on Monday, just one day after Seattle were eliminated from the playoffs by Los Angeles.
WATCH: Full Highlights: LA 2, SEA 1
“Obviously disappointed [about the elimination], but we have a good young nucleus,” Hanauer said. “I think between the ownership and coaching, we know some of the things we need to tweak to become better.”
Against the Galaxy, the inexperience of the Sounders was thrown into sharp relief. A lineup featuring older veterans like Donovan Ricketts, Eddie Lewis and Dema Kovalenko held the Sounders offense in check for the majority of the two-match series.
Schmid talked about how LA’s players understood the little things they could do to make a lead stand up. When the Sounders tried to up the tempo of the game, the Galaxy started taking extra time on throw-ins and goal kicks, bleeding the momentum from the game.
[inline_node:322834]Schmid thinks his team, which featured four starting midfielders under 25 years old, is still learning those things.
“[Los Angeles have] a lot of veteran players. …They’re a team that understands that rhythm because they’ve got those veterans,” said Schmid. “Those are intangibles that make a difference in big games and those are things that we’re still trying to acquire.”
While the youth may have been a drawback on Sunday, the Sounders believe it will become strength. Schmid noted that the only way to get big-game experience is to play in games like Sunday’s.
While Hanauer conceded the season “didn’t go smoothly,” it seems as though the bar has been moved incrementally upward from their first season.
The Sounders improved on their point total from 2009, and the club’s 17 combined losses in their first two seasons is the best-ever performance from an expansion franchise.
Furthermore, they added important pieces in World Cup veterans Alvaro Fernandez and Blaise Nkufo. But perhaps most importantly, the young core of the team now has an extra year of experience under its belts.
Nevertheless, Schmid admitted that his team cannot yet be considered “elite.”
“We’re still not there yet,” Schmid said. “We still have to become better.”
Think you know the game? Test your powers of prediction with MLSsoccer.com's new fantasy game,Pro Soccer Picks. Play NOW!
