After a strong bounce-back performance in a 4-0 trouncing of Orlando City SC last weekend at CenturyLink Field, the Seattle Sounders had hopes that Saturday evening’s road matchup at Real Salt Lake could act as a continuation of that newfound confidence and attacking potency.
Instead, the Sounders suffered another defeat in which they didn’t find the back of the net, falling 2-0 to RSL on a 12th-minute penalty kick from Javier Morales and a rebound tally from Sebastian Jaime just six minutes later.
With the loss – their ninth in 11 games – the Sounders fell into a 35-point tie with the San Jose Earthquakes for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference, as their ticket to the postseason still hangs in the balance with just eight matches to play.
After Saturday's latest setback, Seattle head coach Sigi Schmid noted how the match vs. RSL got away from his squad early after a handball was called in the penalty box on center back Roman Torres, setting up Morales with the opening penalty kick.
“I thought we lost the game in the first 20 minutes,” Schmid said. “I thought they outworked us in those first 20 minutes. We told our team to be prepared for that – that they would come out hard. When you’re down 2-0, it’s tough to come back because they’re a good possession team.”
Schmid also expressed disappointment at how Seattle responded after falling to the first-half deficit.
“[The effort] wasn’t good enough,” Schmid said. “If you ask any of our guys I think they’ll tell you the same thing. Tonight our effort wasn’t of the standard that we want it to be.”
Seattle captain Brad Evans agreed with his coach’s assessment, pointing out how conceding the early penalty kick put the Sounders in a tough position from the start against a highly motivated RSL squad playing for their playoff lives.
“Things just weren’t clicking from minute one,” Evans said. “They won every second ball and obviously with a 12th-minute penalty kick, playing here and [conceding] an early goal, it’s a very, very difficult place to play.”
Seattle’s upcoming schedule certainly doesn’t present them with very much time to dwell on their most recent frustrating result. The Sounders now must travel all the way to Tegucigalpa, Honduras for a midweek CONCACAF Champions League matchup with Club Olimipa (10 pm ET, FOX Soccer Plus), before returning home to take on the Portland Timbers in MLS play on Aug. 30 (4:30 pm ET, ESPN and ESPN Deportes).
“At this point, it is do or die,” said Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei. “With the quality we have in our locker room, we have to really start getting on a run and get in the playoffs first and foremost, obviously. But also to get on a run to make sure once we are in the playoffs, we can keep on going and use that momentum to get us far.”
Ari Liljenwall covers Seattle Sounders FC for MLSsoccer.com.
