:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63316163/usa_today_11259786.0.jpg)
We got together with our friends at Sounder at Heart to find out more about the high flying Seattle Sounders.
Eighty Six Forever: Seattle has three wins on the bounce. Are they as good as their record suggests?
Sounder at Heart: I think they are better. The offense is legitimately this good. It should threaten any goal defended by any MLS team. But the defense has started shaky. That’s unusual for the organization and for Brian Schmetzer. The Sounders should end the season as a goals against leader again, with a reasonable amount of health. There are two CBs that could appear in Best XI conversations, Cristian Roldan should as a defensive mid and Stefan Frei is the second coming of Nick Rimando in that Frei will always be in the conversation for keeper of the year.
Eighty Six Forever: From an outside perspective it seems as though the good form is down to the quality of Ruidiaz and Lodiero. Is that all there is to it or have other major changes been made in the way Seattle plays compared to last season when they struggled out of the gate?
Sounder at Heart: Wide play is better this year than it has been in the past. On the left that’s Brad Smith and Victor Rodriguez using a mix of over/underlapping runs with tight passes. On the right it is Jordan Morris combining his strength and speed to dive into the box as a shadow forward or make blazing runs on counters and run right by defenders. It’s a structure that can succeed in many channels and forces defenses to communicate while overloaded.
Eighty Six Forever: How did you stay sane during the slow start last year? Asking for a friend.
Sounder at Heart: It’s about focusing on individual players and individual moments, as well as the community that exists around the team. Those things should be enjoyable no matter what the record is and how bad the team looks throughout the 90. Find those bits of joy and know that even if you start poorly this year, and next year, you’d still have to do it three straight in order to match the Sounders.