Sigi – “I’m Proud of What This Team has Done”
Sigi: Proud of Achievements
Although it was always likely that Sounders would have less possession in the away leg, it was the number of times that lesser amount was surrendered in avoidable turnovers that hampered Seattle’s game plan. Sigi identified the loss of 50/50s as the problem:
“I don’t think we played particularly well this game. Houston did a good job of winning the duels in the middle of the midfield. Any one-on-one headers, they won the majority of that. Those are like face-offs in hockey, so they got more possession all the time and that hurt us a little bit. We were probably a little too direct at the beginning of the game, and once we settled and played a little bit more, I thought we played a little bit better. I thought it was going to head to penalties the way it was going, but obviously it didn’t.”
Kasey Keller put it another way,
“Everybody was just waiting for that one mistake or that one piece of magic, and it came from Brian. It was a tremendous finish, and we just couldn’t get it in at the other end. We knocked on the door a few times, but we just couldn’t quite sustain enough pressure.”
Certainly, every time Sounders lost the ball it lifted any building pressure on the Houston back five, who are a very competent outfit at the worst of times.
On the goal itself, Sigi said,
“Roger [Levesque]’s just got to flick the ball on. The ball’s bouncing, and instead of flicking it on and heading it over Mullan, he ends up turning and he hits the ball into Mullan, and he sort of blocks it, and it falls to Ching, and he hits a good first-time shot.”
Looking Back with Pride
We have no doubt that the accomplishments of this franchise in its first year will be the subject of editorials in all the press and certainly on those soccer blogs in Seattle that have followed the club in this amazing year. There will certainly be one here. But for today we felt it right to allow the club to have its say. If we’re to be honest with you, we’re a lot like you. Still taking it all in.
So we defer to Sigi Schmid’s assessment of Sounders FC’s first year.
“I’m proud of what this team has done and what this organization has done in its first year. This isn’t ’98 when the league is in its infancy and you’re an expansion team, so you’re really not that far behind the curve. I think to have won an Open Cup, to have a winning record in the season, to have been two points away from the Supporters’ Shield, and to have lost to a team that has been the dominant team in the playoffs is a pretty proud moment for a young expansion team, but we don’t want mediocrity. We don’t want to accept mediocrity. Our goal is always to win a championship, and the sting of today will hopefully help us as we move forward into next year.”
Houston Dynamo 1 : 0 Sounders FC (aet)
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I fully expect the Sounders to be perennial contenders for the Supporter’s Shield, US Open Cup and MLS Cup. What I find most disappointing is the thought that when we do win the MLS Cup it won’t happen in Seattle like it could have this year. I was so looking forward to seeing us take the crown in front of a sellout home crowd.
I could not agree with Mr. Young more. The foundation is more than solid and I feel a great sense of pride of what the team and organization on the whole accomplished this year.
I’m originally from NE Ohio and am passionate about teams from that region in other sports (i.e. Indians and Browns) so I am familiar with the saying, “There’s always next year.” However, it’s one thing to say that and it’s QUITE another to wholeheartedly believe it the day after your team’s season has ended. I CANNOT wait until Kickoff ‘10 against the Union. I am giddy with excitement over the team’s potential next season and beyond.
Very well put Derek. Thank you for posting this and reading Prost Amerika over the course of the year.
I couldn’t be prouder of what they accomplished. There were spots throughout the season where the “expansion” part of this side popped up, but they always fought through them. It took extra time in the second leg from arguably the most dominant team over the last few years to best our boys. Nothing to cry in our beers over.
In fact I think it’s downright scary how good this team could be in the coming years building off this very solid foundation.
At the beginning of the season I was hoping to see a commitment to quality attacking football, a trip to the playoffs, an authentic fan-based atmosphere, and some grit (call it what you want, spirit, fight, hunger.) Mission accomplished on all accounts.