As the Seattle Sounders prepare for their Round One, Match Two meeting at the Houston Dynamo on Sunday afternoon, the team is embracing a ‘Next Man Up’ mentality.
It’s a familiar ethos for the team. The Sounders have long championed the depth throughout the roster. And Monday night’s Round One, Match One victory over the Houston Dynamo served as a perfect showcase of the different options Head Coach Brian Schmetzer has at his disposal.
“We have a lot of good pieces,” said midfielder Obed Vargas. “The whole team is in good shape.”
This was particularly obvious in Seattle’s midfield on Monday.
After collecting a red card in the Sounders Decision Day showdown against the Portland Timbers, Vargas was unavailable in the team’s Round One opening match. Veteran player João Paulo was there to take his place while fellow Homegrown Player Danny Leyva put in an influential shift as a second-half substitute.
“We've had this depth in the midfield for years now,” said Vargas. “I know that whoever plays is going to do their best.”
The Sounders also had to make adjustments up-top after the team’s 2024 top goal-scorer Jordan Morris had to be taken off shortly after the start of the second half due to hamstring tightness. The club’s all-time leading scorer Raúl Ruidíaz replaced him for the remaining minutes of the match.
“Being able to bring Raúl off the bench is a luxury,” said Vargas.
To have a player of Ruidíaz’s caliber come on as a substitute would be an anomaly for most teams. But given the amount of talent within each position group, and exciting young players like Reed Baker-Whiting and Georgi Minoungou to inject energy into the lineup, it’s not out of the ordinary for the Sounders.
“The competition between all of us, me, Danny, Josh \[Atencio\], JP, Cristian \[Roldan\], Sota \[Kitahara\], I think that's what made us so much better, knowing that we have a guy behind us the whole time, that's putting in the work,” said Vargas of the midfield cohort.
The Sounders “Next Man Up” mindset not only challenges players to push themselves each and every training session, but it sets an expectation at the club that allows them to step up and contribute when they are called upon to do so.
Ruidíaz has done exactly that, despite his limited minutes in the second half of the regular season.
“I think one of the biggest strengths of Raúl is his mentality,” said Vargas. “He has 100% belief in himself and that's something I admire. Wherever he is, whatever position he's playing, he always has full confidence in himself that he's going to do [his] best and he's always there for the team, no matter if he's coming off the bench or not playing [at all].”
Given Morris’ “doubtful” status heading into Match Two of the Round One, Best-Of-3 series, according Schmetzer, the Peruvian forward has the potential to fill the No. 9 role on Sunday.
“The team might look a little different, just because Raúl is different from Jordan, but they're both good goal scorers, and I'm hoping Raúl can find some form and score a goal or two and help us win,” said Schmetzer.
Adjustments in the midfield are also a possibility come Sunday.
“JP was good [last match]…He had some good moments and you like a veteran presence,” said Schmetzer. “[But,] Obed has been the starter in there with Cristian, so we'll see.”
