The Sounders are just one day away from kicking off their marathon stretch of road matches with a daunting battle against Real Salt Lake at America First Field on Saturday afternoon (4:30 p.m. PT; Watch on Apple TV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360AM).
The team produced a solid showing in their 2-0 Home Opener win over the Colorado Rapids, but what awaits them in Utah, will be a different beast.
“It's cyclical. They're a good squad,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “They've got some injuries, and they played a lot of Academy kids against Vancouver, and they still look good. So regardless of who they've put on the field, it's always a challenging place to play.”
Whether it be the altitude or the narrow field, the Sounders have had a particularly difficult time coming away with three points from Utah since joining MLS in 2009. The last time the Rave Green defeated the RSL on the road was in 2011.
“We've always struggled there with our possession a little bit,” said Schmetzer. “Altitude has some minor effect on the psyche of the players. I don't think it's so much a physical deal, but it's mentally in their head sometimes.”
Upon understanding the challenging task ahead, the Sounders will look to utilize preseason preparations, positive takeaways from their Feb. 22 match, and specific tactics surrounding the Mountain West team, in order to begin their road match journey on the front foot and finally slash this losing streak once and for all.
“We talk about the belief and the preparation that we've done, because we know this. We've known that this road trip is coming, and we've messaged it a few times in preseason,” said Schmetzer. “And so the final little messaging for the group is, we had a good preseason, had a good start to the year against a tough Colorado team. So, the preparation that we've done in preseason is going to give us a chance in these five games.”
The Sounders home opener demonstrated the team’s lockdown defense that they’ve been working on improving during preseason. From completing 22 tackles and 28 clearances, to winning 63 duels, the Rave Green weren’t leaving Lumen Field without a shutout under their belts.
“The team defended really well,” said center back Jackson Ragen. “There wasn't a ton for the back four or Andrew [Thomas] to do, but when there was, I think we stepped up in a good way.”
This brick wall mentality will be vital on Saturday, especially with attacking threats like RSL’s new Designated Player Morgan Guilavogui potentially making his debut (visa). Prior to making a permanent transfer to RSL through the 2028-29 season, the 6-foot-2 forward played for top flight clubs Ligue 1 side RC Lens and Bundesliga’s FC St. Pauli (loan) from 2023-26.
Maintaining focus during set pieces will be particularly important.
“It’s something we've talked about a lot. And I think, just getting back to the small details…I think there's just too many goals that are caused by little mistakes,” said Ragen. “And if we're going to get scored on, we want it to be because the other team beats us, not because we beat ourselves.”
Complementing Seattle’s resolute defending is an attacking group capable of creating high-quality chances against any opposition. Despite losing DP Jordan Morris to a quad strain during last Sunday’s match and missing offensive threat Pedro de la Vega due to an injury sustained last season, the team’s attack of Albert Rusnák, Jesús Ferreira, Paul Rothrock, Paul Arriola, Danny Musovski, Georgi Minoungou and Osaze De Rosario is bound to stir up trouble. In the last match alone, the team tallied a total of 15 shots, with 10 of them being inside the box and five of them on frame.
“We're going to try and make sure we're able to keep the ball. The ball flies there because of the altitude,” said Schmetzer. “So, you know, [understanding] the altitude, keeping possession, dictating tempo is going to be critical, and, of course, executing and getting your chances.”
