Head Coach Brian Schmetzer made eight changes to the starting lineup on Sunday night from the Sounders’ previous match against Club Puebla, but the team’s intensity remained the same.
Seattle utilized their deep roster to secure a commanding 5-2 victory over Sporting Kansas City at Lumen Field, maintaining their No. 4 spot in the Western Conference.
“We couldn't drop points because the West is so tight. We needed this home game, and those guys delivered that,” said Schmetzer. “Those players in that [locker] room…That is a strong collective.”
Winger Kalani Kossa-Rienzi provided the initial lead less than 15 minutes into the match. Midfielder Danny Leyva tallied three assists and drew a penalty that led to Danny Musovski’s third goal of the night. Midfielder Snyder Brunell recorded his second MLS goal in his second appearance with the club. Defender Cody Baker put in a solid 90 minute performance in his first start of 2025.
These are just a few highlights indicating the production and overall talent the Sounders squad can provide even without getting consistent minutes on the pitch. Leyva specifically spotlighted the younger players for making the most of their opportunity in tonight’s win.
“I think we went in with the right mentality,” he said. “We work hard every training session. For us, those are our games because, sometimes we don't play as much and we have to maintain that mentality of being ready and when our chance comes, taking advantage of it.”
Following a marathon stretch of three matches over the past week, a heavily rotated lineup was necessary. Given the team’s approach to each training session, there was no hesitation on Schmetzer’s end to make alterations.
“We train the entire team, we don't just train the starting eleven for a particular game,” he said. “We make sure that everyone on the team understands the tactics for that particular game, and so the young players understand when they're put into the game what we want and what the expectations are.”
This, along with the players’ underlying bond, has put them in position to come away with results like the one displayed on Sunday night.
“You can see we're all having a good time, and everybody gets along really well together,” said Kossa-Rienzi. “And I think that's like step one in terms of getting the chemistry and the confidence up. “Even when people rotate, we know how deep we are, and we know anybody can step on the field and make a difference. So it's not necessarily a question about, like, ‘Oh, like, if this happens, who's gonna step up,’ but more of just like, when it happens, we're all going to step up.”
The Sounders will need to maintain this collectiveness as the team looks ahead to Wednesday night’s Leagues Cup Semifinals match versus LA Galaxy.
“We know our game,” said Kossa-Rienzi. “We're not going to change the way we play for another team or anything. We have to just keep doing what we're doing.”
