RENTON — For most of the season, the Seattle Sounders have done their best to deflect questions about the Club World Cup being any sort of distraction. The general messaging has been something along the lines of “we’ll deal with when we get there.”
With the Club World Cup trophy literally on site during Friday’s training session as part of its tour around the Seattle area, the tournament became considerably harder to ignore.
Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer opened his press conference talking about the excitement of welcoming fans from all over the world to Seattle and the surreal nature of watching a team his team will face in about three weeks play in the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday.
Asked about preparing for a pair of upcoming games against Minnesota United on Sunday and the Vancouver Whitecaps a week later, Schmetzer first quipped “that’s a really beautiful trophy.”
Joking aside, he was also well aware that the Sounders have it within their grasp to head into the Club World Cup break with the most points in the Western Conference if they were to win those games. The Whitecaps’ only match between now and June 8 is the Concacaf Champions Cup final on Sunday, and the Sounders currently trail them by six points.
“Yes, we totally understand, we have an opportunity,” Schmetzer said. “If we can do the business, that would put us in a really good run of form to start focusing on, maybe winning one of these games.
“There’s work to be done, but the guys are ready.”
Schmetzer is also confident that his veteran group can both be excited about what’s ahead and still focused on the upcoming games, perhaps even using the impending tournament as motivation.
“You have a group of players that have been around this franchise, been around me, my voice for a long time,” Schmetzer said. “I think we’re all pretty grounded human beings, individuals.
“They saw this, they got excited today, but they have heard the message that Minnesota is the most important game, because it’s the next game.”
Minnesota United are one of the surprise teams during the first half of the season. Leaning into an offense that is deadly in transition and off set-pieces, the Loons are on pace to have less possession than any other team on record in MLS history while also boasting a +9 goal-difference that is tied for second best in the West.
They are coming off a midweek 0-0 tie with the Vancouver Whitecaps and elected to remain the Pacific Northwest rather than fly back and forth.
This will be the fourth time the Sounders have faced Minnesota since they hired Eric Ramsay as coach. The Sounders won all three meetings last year, but Minnesota still impressed Schmetzer.
“Their strengths they are hard to beat,” Schmetzer said about Minnesota. “He’s learned, he’s figured out his team, he’s figured out what his particular group needs to be successful.”
Injury updates
- Kim Kee-hee underwent an MRI which didn’t show any significant tearing to his calf, but the Sounders will give him an ultrasound before making a full assessment. Either way, he’ll miss the Minnesota United match.
- Danny Musovski and Jackson Ragen will both be available, but Schmetzer was unwilling to elaborate on how much either might play. Musovski played 25 minutes against San Diego, while Ragen was on the bench but did not play.
