Year one was a whirlwind of success, an expansion team exceeding expectations on the field and in the stands as Sounders FC sold out every game, made the playoffs and won the U.S. Open Cup in its first season in Major League Soccer.
Last year brought signs of a sophomore slump as the team started 4-8-3, but Seattle rallied in the second half of the season to clinch a second straight playoff berth while also repeating as Open Cup champs.
But those first two seasons, successful as they were, left Sounders FC players, as well as their fans, wanting more. Sure Seattle made the playoffs in each of its first two seasons, but in both postseason trips Sounders FC was bounced in the first round.
Year three, with a strong nucleus intact, is when Sounders FC plans to go further into the postseason than it has in its first two years in the league.
“We’ve set a pretty high standard the first two seasons,” said goalkeeper Kasey Keller, who plans to retire after the season. “Now there’s a lot of expectation with this club, and with that expectation comes a different kind of pressure. . . And let’s hope we rise to the occasion, because I truly believe we have the talent to do it. It’s just how well we all mesh.”
If 2011 doesn’t net even better results than the previous two seasons, Sounders FC coach Sigi Schmid and the front office won’t be afraid to make changes. When the team opened preseason training in January, Schmid publicly declared that “This is the year that if we don’t accomplish some of the things that we feel we can accomplish, then you have to start looking at breaking up that core.”
So the players know that, for everything they’ve done to make Sounders FC a runaway success in its first two years of existence, more is expected when the season kicks off tonight against Los Angeles.
“There is definitely a sense of urgency,” said defender James Riley, one of eight projected starters who has been with the team since 2009. “Sigi said it in the first meeting of the year that to go deep in the playoffs is our goal. Obviously MLS Cup is our ultimate goal, but we definitely don’t want to get knocked out in the first round anymore.”
One of the keys for success for Seattle to improve will be its ability to play more consistently for the duration of the season. Last year feature two drastically different halves, with Seattle winning just four of its first 15 games and 10 of its last 15. The ups and downs were less drastic in 2009, but Seattle did still go through a 2-4-4 stretch in the summer that included a scoring drought of four shutouts in five games.
“The goal for us is to put together a whole season, not a good half a season,” said midfielder Steve Zakuani. “To put together a nice consistent season and increase the number of wins.”
Over the course of a long season, Seattle will inevitably have its peaks and valleys, but one way to whether the down times, Schmid said, will be to find ways to win when things aren’t going well.
“We want to become more consistent and just become a little better at winning those ugly games,” he said. “We’re a team that likes to play soccer and knock the ball around, and sometimes when the game gets ugly, we’re not as effective. We’ve got to find a way to be more effective in those ugly games.”
Another key for Seattle will be its depth. Even if everyone stays healthy, which no team can count on, Sounders FC faces a very busy spring and summer. In addition to playing a 34-game schedule–four more games than the past two seasons–Seattle will try to defend its Open Cup title, will play in the CONCACAF Champions League tournament, and host a few friendlies.
“We pride ourselves on being deep,” Riley said. “We’ve got our nucleus, but we’ve got a lot of guys that have contributed over the last two years, and it’s been evident in Open Cup play.”
That depth will certainly be tested in 2011. So too will the team’s ability to respond to the pressure that comes with following two successful, yet ultimately unsatisfying seasons.
Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com.
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