Are the Seattle Sounders about to do the impossible? It sure seems like it. 11 games ago, the Sounders were left for dead. They had only secured 20 points in 20 games played. They were putrid and quite honestly, the way they played was embarrassing at the time. After their 3-0 defeat to Sporting Kansas City on July 24th, the Sounders front office decided to “mutually part ways” with longtime coach Sigi Schmid. Since then, the Sounders have arguably been the best team in all of MLS.
July 26, 2016
That is the day the Sounders made a change. A change that had to be made but also a change that was hard to make. After seven-plus seasons as the man in charge, Sigi Schmid found himself in the unemployment line. The Sounders made long-time first assistant Brian Schmetzer the interim head coach and since then, the Sounders have really soared beneath his wings.
It also helped that Nicolás Lodeiro was finally brought in the next day. Until the Sounders last game on Sunday, October 2nd, Lodeiro had played every single minute since signing with the team. It’s truly amazing what a coaching change and the addition of one player can do for a team.
Overall, the team has played much better since the departure of Sigi. Schmetzer went away from the 4-3-3 formation and used the 4-2-3-1 formation every single game besides their last against Vancouver when he was forced to use a 4-1-4-1 with the suspension of Lodeiro.
Fifth place
Currently, the Sounders are in 5th place with 44 points after 31 games played. They have three teams beneath them in Sporting Kansas City (43 points), the Portland Timbers (41 points) and San Jose Earthquakes (37 points). A win on October 12th against the Houston Dynamo would clinch a spot in the MLS Playoffs for the Sounders for the eighth consecutive season.
The only way they would not make the playoffs is if they were to lose their remaining three games and the team below them win out. A win puts the Sounders at 47 points and puts them in the playoffs no matter what happens with the teams below them.
Impressive turnaround
To say it’s impressive what the Sounders have done in their last 11 games in an understatement. Whatever magic Schmetzer has in the locker room, let’s hope that nothing changes. He has turned things around so remarkably that he needs to have the interim tag removed from his name and made the head coach for the foreseeable future. There is no other coach in the MLS that could have done what Schmetzer has done these last 11 games.
Now it’s time to see if the Sounders can do the impossible when they return to the field on October 12th against the Houston Dynamo, clinch a playoff spot.