Seattle Sounders center back Zach Scott has been around the block a few times in his career.
The 34-year-old has played for Seattle since 2002, dating back to the team’s days as a USL First Division squad. He managed to remain a Sounders stalwart after the team became an MLS expansion side in 2009 and last season made his 300th appearance with the team, the most of any player in club history. Needless to say, Scott has been a part of a few Cascadia Cup matches over the course of his time in Seattle.
MLSsoccer.com caught up with Scott ahead of Seattle’s tilt Saturday with the Vancouver Whitecaps (7 pm ET; TSN1 in Canada, MLS LIVE in US), who are currently tied for the MLS lead with 20 points.
MLSsoccer.com: What are some of your memories of the Seattle-Vancouver rivalry?
Scott: The games that we’ve had dating back to USL times at [Vancouver’s] Swangard Stadium were pretty cool just because it was such a unique stadium, almost completely encircled by pine trees and just a different environment. A lot of the time it almost felt like you were playing in a black hole there because they had their Southsiders fan section right behind one of the goals, and it almost felt like everything kind of sucked back into that area. Those were always fun and exciting games. Obviously with the MLS team coming into the league, getting to play at BC Place the very first time was just really cool because you were so excited to have all three Cascadia teams involved in Major League Soccer.
MLSsoccer.com: What kind of dynamic has the Seattle-Vancouver rivalry taken on?
Scott: The thing with Vancouver is you always felt like they were built very similar to the way that the Sounders were. They had a core group of like seven, eight guys that had stayed with that team. They weren’t one of the USL teams that had a ton of turnover. That’s something the Sounders built a lot of their success on, is that we had a good group of core guys who loved playing together. You got the same feeling from those Vancouver guys. It’s not like Portland where it was kind of a hate-hate relationship. The relationship with Vancouver was built on a lot of respect.
MLSsoccer.com: How do games at BC Place compare to Portland’s Providence Park?
Scott: It’s very similar. I mean, the fact that both stadiums are downtown in their respective cities gives it a pretty cool feel. You’re not way out in the suburbs and having people have to commute out to the stadium. You get that kind of almost workplace crowd. Guys who are coming straight from work, having a couple drinks at the nearby pubs and then going straight to the game, all excited and amped up. The fact that it’s kind of like a dome is also pretty cool. Even with stadiums that are soccer-specific, usually one side of it has a stage or something. But their stadium is unique in that respect. It’s one of the more fun places to play, just like Providence.
- Get more Seattle news at SoundersFC.com
MLSsoccer.com: What are the keys to stopping Vancouver’s attack?
Scott: The best-case scenario is that we’re able to kind of sit in a block of six or seven and have the other three or four guys just kind of chill and be able to hold some sustained attacking pressure for us. It is those teams that come at you with numbers that do cause some problems when we don’t do a good job of winning the ball back and then immediately relieving pressure and having some sort of sustained attack. But that’s the way Vancouver has been since I can remember being in Major League Soccer. They’ve got super fast guys that want to catch you on the break.
MLSsoccer.com: Are you happy with where the Sounders are defensively?
Scott: I think so far, it’s very early in the season, but I think it’s definitely an improvement over last year. I think if we can continue to improve game after game, I think it’s going to a successful year defensively.
