SEATTLE — On June 30, following a 3-2 home loss to the rival Portland Timbers, the Seattle Sounders had just a 1.67 percent chance of making the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Nearly four months to the day later, the Sounders defeated the San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 to secure the No. 2 seed in the West, a Knockout Round bye and the best half-season record (14-2-1) in Major League Soccer history.
“Thank you to all of the fans that stuck with us,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “I want to thank the team and the players. They deserve all the credit here…No one has ever quit.”
Despite the Sounders’ slow first half of the season, their ability to climb back into the postseason should come as a surprise to no one. They finally got healthy, signed a big-time forward in Raúl Ruidíaz and have been here before. Schmetzer is 17-5-5 — a 63 percent winning percentage and 2.07 Points Per Game — in the months of September and October, including the postseason.
The Sounders have won 14 out of their last 16 matches and are one of the most dangerous teams in the entire league. Seattle is a two-time defending Western Conference champion, and it’s going to take something extraordinary to knock it from its throne this year.
Ruidíaz celebrates his game-winning goal in stoppage time against the Earthquakes | USA Today Sports
“When I came, the team was in a bad moment, but we all knew that it was all up to us, that we had to change the situation that we were in.” said Ruidíaz. “We have an excellent team, really a family, so we knew that it was all up to us. So, we were able to achieve that and I am super happy about that.”
The Sounders know their work is just getting started. Addressing the CenturyLink Field crowd on a microphone post-match, captain Ozzie Alonso repeated his phrase that helped carry them to their first MLS Cup title in 2016: “We’re not finished yet.”
And why would they be? They are firing on all cylinders at exactly the right time. Stefan Frei is playing like the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. Chad Marshall is playing like the MLS Defender of the Year. Alonso is playing as well as he ever has, Nicolás Lodeiro has been playing MVP-caliber soccer recently, Víctor Rodríguez is tearing it up on the wing and Ruidíaz, who scored his 10th goal in just his 13th start on Sunday, has been every bit as good as advertised.
“They wanted to end this season on a positive note for their mentality, for their ‘never say die’ mentality,” said Schmetzer. “That’s why this team is capable of a championship.”
