Sounders ready to hit stretch run hard after brief break

The Seattle Sounders returned to training on Monday following their first true weekend off since the beginning of June, in the middle of a 10-day break between games.

Since that June break, the Sounders had packed in 21 matches over the course of 16 weeks. They’ve now played 39 competitive matches this season and are already guaranteed to play more matches than in any season since 2016.

Not having to think about soccer, even if only for a few days, was a welcome change. Some players spent it just relaxing with family while others took the opportunity to take a quick trip.

“We’d have loved to have gotten away from the game with a good taste in our mouth, unfortunately it was a bit sour, but the three days off was really nice to rest and recover,” Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan said, alluding to the tie with the San Jose Earthquakes that preceded to break. “When you step on the field following those three days, how can you be as sharp as possible and motivated, and see the enthusiasm in training? We saw that today.”

To get them back into the competitive spirit, players were put into small-sided teams and had a bit of a mini-tournament that appeared to go well.

“It’s a promise to themselves,” Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said about finishing strong. “I wish I could have given them more days off. In a normal year, we’d give them a break in September or October to give them a real reset. But judging by today, they’ve started to do their work.”

The Sounders can ill afford to return from break the same way they did last time. In that game, they went on the road against Sporting KC and lost 2-1, but followed that up by going 13-5-2.

The Sounders’ four remaining regular-season games are against the Houston Dynamo (one point ahead), Colorado Rapids (three points ahead), Vancouver Whitecaps (one point behind) and Portland Timbers (three points behind). All are currently within one result of the Sounders.

“It’s do-or-die at this moment and we have to treat it that way,” Roldan said.

Other notes

• João Paulo (calf) was effectively ruled out for the Dynamo match. Schmetzer called him a “maybe” for the Rapids match.