TUKWILA, Wash. – It wasn’t so long ago that the Seattle Sounders’ season was floating along at a record clip. They were riding a five-match winning streak and had lost just one of their first nine MLS games while getting off to the best start in franchise history.
Now in the midst of a three-match winless run – in which they’ve been shut out twice at home – that’s all a distant memory.
“It’s kind of a gut-check time,” Sounders midfielder Brad Evans (above) said. “If we want to be that team that wins championships and advances, then these are the kind of games that we should be winning. [Wednesday] night was one we let slip. For us, I just think it’s about regrouping.”
The first chance to do that comes on Saturday when the Sounders pay a visit to Chivas USA (10:30 pm ET, watch LIVE online), a team that is on a three-match unbeaten run. It will be Seattle’s third match in eight days, and ends a string of eight MLS matches in 29 days heading into the international break. The Sounders’ only games between Saturday and their June 16 game at the Montreal Impact are a third-round US Open Cup game and a potential fourth-round game.
“Definitely looking forward to getting back out there,” Evans said about the quick turnaround from Wednesday’s loss. “We know we’re a better team and that we can play better. The only way we can do that is by getting back on the field and showing ourselves that we can play better.”
Chivas USA have struggled at home so far, picking up their first points at the Home Depot Center when they beat the LA Galaxy last Saturday. But a pair of recent acquisitions has helped inject some life into the Goats.
“They’re a team that’s very confident right now,” Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid said. “The addition of Danny Califf gives them a veteran presence in the back. [Juan] Agudelo gives them a little bit of spirit, a little bit of hope in terms of a young, talented national team player that they were able to acquire. I think the spirit within the club is up. They feel they made some positive moves, moves that have been able to make them a better team.”
Jeremiah Oshan covers the Seattle Sounders for MLSsoccer.com and SB Nation.
