Seattle Sounders FC manager Brian Schmetzer gave most of his regulars an understandable rest in last Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to Inter Miami CF.
Don’t expect the same this Saturday night when they visit the San Jose Earthquakes at PayPal Park (10 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in the US, DAZN in Canada).
Against Miami, the Sounders were only 72 hours removed from Leg 2 of their Concacaf Champions League semifinal series victory over New York City FC, not to mention a cross-country flight after their 1-1 draw to complete a 4-2 aggregate win.
This time Seattle have a full week of prep and an extra day before facing Pumas UNAM in Leg 1 of their first CCL Final next Wednesday night in Mexico City (10:30 pm ET | FS1, TUDN). They also have a pressing need to not lose too much ground – particularly against a Western Conference foe – as they enter Week 8 currently 11th in the conference table with a 2W-3L-1D league record.
“You’re not going to see a nine-man rotation like you did against Miami,” Schmetzer insisted this week. “It’s the same like (against) Minnesota. We started a strong team against Minnesota and we make changes as that game progresses. Because San Jose is an important game for us.”
If Schmetzer can replicate that 2-1 win at Minnesota on April 2, it could catapult Seattle into an excellent CCL showing similar to their 3-1, Leg 1 win over NYCFC on April 6.
The Sounders started most of their regulars that night at Allianz Field, but Nicolas Lodeiro and Raul Ruidiaz each received 45-minute shifts in their returns. Each were involved in a Sounders goal during the 2-1 victory.
This time it's center back Yeimar Gomez Andrade who could be available for his first minutes since the 2021 MLS Defender of the Year finalist suffered a high ankle sprain in mid-March.
Complicating things is a San Jose squad that is a giant unknown after the exit this week of manager Matias Almeyda and, presumably, his unique man-marking tactics.
“It’s hard because you can’t watch film of their previous style of play, because Matias played a very distinct style of play,” Schmetzer conceded. “We don’t know how they’re going to come out.”
San Jose have a 5-0 US Open Cup Fourth Round victory over NISA's Bay Cities FC under their belt since Almeyda’s departure. And if the tactics are different, interim manager Alex Covelo, formerly head coach for the Quakes' MLS NEXT Pro side, insists the fear-no-one attitude his predecessor had will still be there.
“I think that the surprise is going to be that we are going to try to play the way that we want," he said. "That’s it. I don’t have any tricks or tricky plays to show, or going to try to beat Seattle with a trick. It has to be more about our work defensively and offensively and see if the guys can understand [our game plan].”
Schmetzer fully expects a new-coach bump and maybe even an extra infusion of energy for the hosts via all-time MLS goalscoring leader and San Jose legend Chris Wondolowski, who has taken an assistant role under Covelo along with Steve Ralston, whose 135 assists are second-most all-time in league history.
At a club that has won the US Open Cup on four occasions, Schmetzer is fully aware of how strong play in cup competitions can translate to the league.
“It’s going to be a fired-up team,” Schmetzer said of the Quakes. “They had a good result again (this week). Lots of Open Cup runs springboard into better regular-season stuff. We’ve had that happen to us in years past.”
