Sounders believe Starfire can be missing variable against LAFC

RENTON — In the history of U.S. Soccer, there’s never been a home-field advantage quite like Starfire Stadium’s. Maxed out, the Tukwila facility fits fewer than 5,000 people, but virtually all of them are right on top of the field. It creates a high-energy atmosphere that trends toward the chaotic.

The Seattle Sounders have certainly used it to their advantage.

Since the Sounders first started playing U.S. Open Cup games there in 2005 when they were still in the USL, they’ve gone 25-1-3. That includes a record of 19-1-3 during the MLS era, with the only non-penalty loss coming in the infamous Red Card Wedding nearly 10 year ago.

The Sounders are hoping to build on Starfire’s lore when they host LAFC on Wednesday in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals.

“The one thing about Starfire is the atmosphere there does get pretty excited,” Sounders midfielder Reed Baker-Whiting said. “I felt that when I played there in the Open Cup last year.

“I think the energy will be pretty similar but the level on the field will be even higher.”

It’s hardly an overstatement to suggest LAFC might be the best team to ever visit Starfire.

LAFC’s roster includes multiple World Cup winners in Olivier Giroud and Hugo Lloris; reigning MLS Golden Boot winner Denís Bouanga; and a host of other highly accomplished players. They also have a decided advantage over the Sounders in head-to-head play. It was just a 10 days ago that LAFC beat the Sounders 3-0 to knock them out of the Leagues Cup, the second time they’d won by that score in Seattle in the last six weeks and the third time they’d beaten Seattle this year. LAFC now have a nine-game unbeaten streak against the Sounders that dates to 2021 and includes five straight wins.

“We tried to look at last game to see what we can do differently because they have figured us out a little bit,” Sounders forward Jordan Morris said. “We want to right the ship in this game and push forward past this team because they’ve made it difficult for us.”

Although these two teams just played, there are a couple variables that could impact the outcome. LAFC are coming off an emotional loss in the Leagues Cup final on Sunday, after which they flew straight from Columbus to Seattle. Whether or not LAFC is extra motivated or experiencing a bit of an emotional hangover is simply “conjecture” according to Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer.

But the very real variable is the venue.

“The field is a little chaotic,” Schmetzer said. “There are certain things that just happen with the field. We talked about the history there.

“As a fan I embrace it but I’d rather us play a clean game and for it to be a normal soccer game. I don’t want the field to be the story.”

While an admirable goal, the chances of that happening aren’t very good.

With a normal capacity of about 4,000, Starfire is one of the most intimate venues used regularly in the U.S. Open Cup. The roof on the north stands helps make them feel much louder than their number would suggest and their proximity to the field allows their chants and insults to be heard easily by the players.

The field itself is also quite small, measuring at 70 yards wide and 110 yards long. That’s five yards narrower and six yards shorter — or about 11.5% smaller — than Lumen Field. Games there are often frenetic and tightly contested. Possession soccer is more of a theory than a viable game plan as turnovers can become breakaways in a flash and every set piece is a scoring opportunity.

The Sounders are well-versed in the intricacies of Starfire — virtually everyone on the roster has played numerous games there either as a youth, in MLS Next Pro or in previous Open Cup games — but it can also be a sort of talent equalizer.

The Sounders’ last three Open Cup matches at Starfire have all been against USL Championship teams and haven’t been decided until the final moments. Last year, the Sounders needed a extra-time penalty to beat San Diego Loyal, the first game this year saw Louisville City erase a late 2-0 deficit to force a shootout, and the Sounders needed an 88th minute winner to beat Phoenix Rising in the quarterfinals.

“It’s going to be an uglier game for sure,” Morris said. “We just have to find a way to win in big moments like this.

“It’s going to be a battle, it’s going to be a fight. We have to have that mentality from the beginning.”