SEATTLE — Even holding a 3-1 lead, the Seattle Sounders insist they won’t be pulling any punches in the second leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup Round One encounter with Antigua GFC on Wednesday.
“This is a one and out, so it’s going to be the strongest team I can put out there,” the Sounders head coach said during a press conference on Tuesday. “It will be a bunch of starters and I’ll try to rotate the squad as necessary depending on the game state.”
It seems inevitable, however, that Schmetzer will need to employ at least some rotation.
In the first leg, he used what could effectively be considered a first-choice lineup. On just two days’ rest, he made only three changes for the MLS season opener on Saturday, with Paul Arriola, Pedro de la Vega and Jesús Ferreira making way for Paul Rothrock, Georgi Minoungou and Albert Rusnák.
Obed Vargas, Alex Roldan, Yeimar Gomez Andrade, Jackson Ragen and Stefan Frei have all played the maximum 180 minutes, while Cristian Roldan and Nouhou have each played at least 175 minutes. With a league game against Real Salt Lake looming on Saturday, presumably Schmetzer will want to rest at least a few more of those players.
At the same time, he is not willing to give up too much or just sit back and hope for the best.
“We’re not going to be afraid to press higher up the field when necessary,” Schmetzer said. “We’re at home. I think that’s a key component here. But we also need to establish better possession. They did a good job of their triggers when they pressed us and it put us under a little bit of pressure.”
Kossa-Rienzi called up
After training with the first team throughout preseason and into the season, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Kalani Kossa-Rienzi would eventually be signed. That still hasn’t happened, but he will be available on Wednesday and again on Saturday after signing a short-term loan on Tuesday.
Advancement scenarios
The Sounders will advance as long as they don’t allow at least three goals, thanks to their 3-1 win in Leg 1. But even if they allow three goals, they can still force extra time if they score one and would win outright if they score two.
Cruz Azul awaits
If the Sounders advance, they’ll face Cruz Azul in the Round of 16. The Sounders would host the first leg on March 5 with the return leg in Mexico City on March 11.
