TUKWILA, Wash. – Seattle Sounders FC 2' extended their unbeaten streak to four games last Sunday against the Oklahoma City Energy FC with a 1-1 draw at home. The result was bittersweet for head coach Ezra Hendrickson and his team, however, as the opposing goal came in the final breath of the match to steal the win away from S2.
“We are disappointed with what happened on Sunday,” Hendrickson told reporters this week. “Even though it was a tie it felt like a loss because it happened so dramatically.”
The team won't have to wait long for redemption, as Tulsa Roughnecks FC rides in to town on Sunday (7 p.m. PT; Live Stream on SoundersFC.com). Tulsa has struggled early on, earning only four points in seven games. The Roughnecks are currently at the bottom of the USL Western Conference, and they come into Seattle on a three-game losing skid and a six-game winless run.
Despite their struggles this year, the Roughnecks' physicality troubled S2 in its inaugural season last year. Tulsa delivered S2 one its three losses at home in 2015.
“They probably gave us more trouble last year than any other team,” said Hendrickson. “They’re a very physical, very direct team, but I think now that we’ve gotten our feet wet, we’ll be better prepared for a physical competition on Sunday.”
Forward Sammy Ochoa is Tulsa's leading goal scorer and a player S2 fans might remember from his time with the first team Seattle Sounders. Between 2011 and 2013, Ochoa made 17 appearances for the Sounders and scored three goals.
Hendrickson and S2 may be unbeaten in the last four, but the squad has only picked up one win. Development has always been the top priority for S2, but the next step in that development is winning.
“We’ve been working on a winning mentality,” he said. “Development is the number one most important thing for these guys, but part of development is learning how to win.”
