Seattle Sounders FC Fall Flat Against Real Salt Lake, Lose Second Straight

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON (May 26, 2018) — At CenturyLink Field on Saturday, an MLS player scored his first professional goal.

However, he was not a member of the Seattle Sounders.

Instead, Real Salt Lake celebrated the first-ever MLS goal from Sebastián Saucedo. The 21-year-old from San Francisco has been with RSL since 2015. However, it was in his third season that he found the back of the net.

Seattle Sounders FC Fall Flat Against Real Salt Lake, Drop Second Straight Game

Specifically, he found the back of Stefan Frei’s net in the 61st minute. The goal was assisted by Danilo Acosta.

Meanwhile, the Sounders were shut out in their second match in a row. Back on May 13, the Sounders were blanked by the same 1-0 scoreline against the Portland Timbers.

After the match, Sounders FC Head Coach Brian Schmetzer told his team they can only go up from the losses.

“They have to put the work in, they have to come ready to work on Tuesday and make sure that they’re prepared, not just physically but mentally, to see if we can correct some of the things that we will show them on tape and highlight some of the positive things they did accomplish,” Schmetzer said.

Injuries have also played a major factor in a dismal season for Seattle so far. The Sounders are without Jordan Morris, Victor Rodriguez and Will Bruin, to name a few.

Schmetzer, though, said his team is “better than this.”

“This wasn’t a performance up to our standards, but it’s all in the little details, it’s all in the small things,” Schmetzer said. “What are you going to do at training? What are you doing when you’re not at training and at home? What are you doing to make yourself a better player, a good pro, on and off the field?”

“We’ll watch film, we’ll do all that, but which are the guys who come up and ask for a little extra?”

Captain. Cristian. #SoundersMatchday | #SEAvRSL pic.twitter.com/qgLm1vlg9O

— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) May 26, 2018

Three Takeaways

Despite the goal, Kim and Marshall looked good: Schmetzer has noted that Kim Kee-Hee and Chad Marshall are still dealing with communication issues. Kim, a native of South Korea, is still learning English — and Marshall is even learning some Korean. Despite the goal by Real Salt Lake, the two had a decent showing, stopping Kyle Beckerman and Marcelo Silva.
Another injury to add: One of Seattle’s youngest and brightest strikers had his match cut short on Saturday. Handwalla Bwana left the match in the 33rd minute with a foot injury. After the match, Schmetzer said that “the kid” was playing well. “He was dangerous, he was breaking people down. That hurt us,” Schmetzer said.
A chance for revenge: Luckily for Seattle, they won’t have to wait much longer for their next battle with Real Salt Lake. The two sides will meet up on June 2 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Utah.