The Seattle Sounders pulled out a dramatic 1-1 draw against the LA Galaxy on Wednesday, but for Seattle head coach Brian Schmetzer, the road point wasn't exactly a cause for celebration.
The Sounders have become known for their late-season surges that have them in top form heading into the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, but at this point in 2020, it's safe to say the Sounders aren't at their top level. Wednesday's result was the continuation of a stretch that has seen the team's talented attack struggle to find the net at their customary clip, requiring a 93rd-minute leveler from Raul Ruidiaz to tie a Galaxy side that was eliminated from playoff contention with the result.
After the match, Schmetzer said he's well aware that the Sounders will need to reach another gear to make a run at a repeat title something he imparted on the players in the postgame locker room.
“So the question I posed to them after I congratulated them on a well-deserved goal at the end was, ‘Does this hurt’?" Schmetzer said. "How are we going to win a championship? What if we have to go on the road and play against a strong team? Is this good enough? How are we going to repeat as champions? This actually has to hurt because it’s two points lost.”
It makes a good performance in the team's last match of the season — a clash with the San Jose Earthquakes on Decision Day presented by AT&T— all the more important in terms of kickstarting some momentum for the postseason.
Schmetzer pointed to last year's dramatic late-season victory against the Quakes as an example of the type of grind-it-out result that can give a team a mental boost before the playoffs.
“It is a little concerning. Look, we’re an experienced team. We’re not going to go into the first round of the playoffs and not be ready. But the fact of the matter is normally we have a settled group and a team that is in form going into the playoffs,” Schmetzer said. “Last year I think it was Jordan Morris got that goal in the 89th-90th minute down in San Jose. We come back on Decision Day, win 1-0 and get a couple of results on the way into the playoffs. That’s always critical. It’s always good for your team to be on a little run.”
Recent struggles aside, the Sounders remain a deep and talented group with plenty of playoff experience to lean on.
With an eye on a repeat title, though, Schmetzer said his goal is to make sure the players are in position to turn it up a notch for the playoffs, where the games are sure to be high-intensity, competitive fixtures.
“What am I trying to do?” Schmetzer said later. “I’m trying to drive an extra 3-5 percent out of that group that already gives it their all. Because that’s how you win championships. You can’t be just like any other team. You can’t just be a good team in MLS. You’ve got to find something within yourself to push yourself in moments when you’re tired, or you’re fatigued, you’re not thinking clearly or there’s a chance to make a goal or a play or a final pass.
"You have to be able to be mentally strong enough to make those plays. And if you just say ‘OK, yeah, we’re satisfied with a draw’, if you just say that you’re never going to win a championship. You just won’t. Yeah, you’ll be a good team but championship teams find ways to win in these types of moments and in these types of games. … They all played hard. But I want to drive them to get that last little piece so that we can repeat as champions.”
