RENTON — One of the more peculiar aspects of the MLS Cup playoffs is that an international window falls basically in the middle, with this year’s coming Nov. 11-19. Further compounding that issue is the first round’s best-of-3 format. When a team — like the Seattle Sounders this year — wins the first two games, that creates a situation where they have three weeks between matches.
Not only does that throw off the normal rhythms of the season, but it leaves coaches potentially needing to remind players that this isn’t a normal break.
That’s where having a solid group of veterans can be helpful. The team still has six players who had significant roles during the Sounders’ last MLS Cup-winning run in 2019 and all but a handful came into this postseason with at least some playoff experience.
“We talked about being sharp,” Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan said following Thursday’s training session, the team’s first since eliminating the Houston Dynamo on Sunday. “But in a way, you have to trust the locker room. We’re all professionals here. If someone shows up and is not ready to train, you’ll see it. I’m sure the coaches will have a word with those guys, but there’s obviously a huge stress factor, but also the guys are motivated.”
Keeping those veterans honest is a group of younger players who are ready to push them.
“If you’re not ready to train, especially the older guys, the second guys will eat you up,” Roldan said. “They have a bunch of energy, so you have to be ready to train.
“I really think that the young guys have been creating a really competitive environment and it’s kudos to those guys for showing up every day and and then that forces guys that maybe are on the other side to to be ready to train.”
The Sounders won’t learn the exact date, location or opponent of their Western Conference semifinal until the conclusion of the LAFC-Vancouver Whitecaps series on Friday. If LAFC advance, the match will likely be played on Nov. 23 or 24 at BMO Stadium. If the Whitecaps win, the match will likely be played on Monday, Nov. 25 at Lumen Field due to the Seattle Seahawks playing on Sunday.
To help prepare, the Sounders are sending assistant coach Freddie Juarez to LA to scout the game in person. They’re also using their experience in last year’s Western Conference semifinals to refine their preparation.
“We’re gonna try and make sure that we leave no stone unturned, whoever our next opponent is, to make sure we’re ready,” Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said. “We’re going to do whatever it takes, including going back to see what we can do better.”
Roldan insisted the Sounders aren’t too worried about who they play. LAFC have already beaten the Sounders four times this season, so there’s a chance of revenge. The Sounders went 1-1-1 against the Whitecaps.
“In the end, you just want to to win and you wanna get by,” he said. “Vancouver’s a really good squad and they’re playing really well right now. But of course, we’d all like to be at home as well. It’s nice to play in front of our crowd, but it’s up to them to decide who we play.”
Health updates
Jordan Morris is expected to rejoin training on Friday and will be a limited participant, while Albert Rusnák may get a few more days off from extensive training. Both are still expected to be ready in plenty of time for the Western Conference semifinals. The news was not as good for Danny Musovski, who apparently suffered a “significant” quadriceps pull last week. Schmetzer said Musovski is likely finished for the season.
Youngsters get first-team training time
Joining first-team training on Thursday were teenagers Stuart Hawkins (18) and Snyder Brunell (17). Although Hawkins is on a first-team contract, he spent virtually all of the season with the Tacoma Defiance. Brunell logged nearly 2,000 minutes in his first professional season with Defiance.
“They’re super talented,” Schmetzer said. “We’d love to have those kids out a lot more. We’ll just see how this week goes.”
