TUKWILA — There’s a growing sentiment among Sounders players after preseason training camp has moved from Spain to Morocco and back to Tukwila: They’re ready to start the MLS season.
“Everyone is over the preseason part,” midfielder Albert Rusnak said.
The Sounders will get another taste of competitive play when they host USL Championship side Louisville City FC on Saturday. The closed-door morning scrimmage at Starfire Sports will be the final against an outside opponent before beginning league play against Colorado on Feb. 26 at Lumen Field.
Saturday’s matchup is also the first since a 1-0 loss to Egyptian side Al Ahly in the second round of the FIFA men’s Club World Cup in Morocco. The Sounders conceded a goal off a deflection in the 88th minute for the early exit in the first appearance in the global tournament for an MLS team.
“It’s probably been a preseason where we’ve played the least amount of friendly games,” Rusnak said. Including Saturday’s matchup, the Sounders will have played three scrimmages overall. “Obviously it was because of the Club World Cup and we get back here and need some time to adjust to the time difference again. But after this game against Louisville, we’ll be ready to go.”
Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer spent portions of training this week focusing on how the team will build up to goals. There were also team-wide drills where even defenders participated in taking shots at goal.
Against Al Ahly, which is regarded as the “team of the century” because of their hefty trophy case, the Sounders only had two shots on target. The club had five corner kicks that weren’t threatening, and Rusnak’s free kick mashed into Al Ahly’s defensive wall.
“We’ve had a couple extra training days where we could work on pretty much everything,” said Schmetzer, who intended to have one more match in Morocco. “The struggle (in scoring more goals) is actually helping to make sure they understand the little nuances of what we’re trying to do differently this year. Those starting points on how we get into the final third and then it’s just execution, it’s repetition. It’s just getting them out there on the field and getting them in every exercise to try and score goals.
“It’s as much mentality as technique. Hopefully they score enough goals in practice and understand it feels good when they score and that goes over into games.”
Injury updates
Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas remains out due to a right quadriceps strain suffered during a training session in Spain. Schmetzer was confident in stating Vargas would rejoin full sessions next week.
Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan was part of full training on Friday and could start against Louisville. He was subbed off in the 84th minute against Al Ahly because of a hip injury Roldan attributed to a lack of fitness before playing a high-level competitive match.
Sounders midfielder Joao Paulo continues to progress in his return from a torn ACL suffered in May 2022. He’s expected to play 75 minutes against Louisville.
“It’s a huge step going into the season,” Joao Paulo said.
Still in green
Schmetzer received an uplifting call when former forward Will Bruin reached out before signing with Austin FC last week.
Bruin’s contract with the Sounders expired, the team opting to sign Heber to strengthen their attack. Bruin played six seasons in Seattle and helped the club win MLS Cup in 2019 and the CONCACAF Champions League title last year.
But the 13-year league veteran’s best year with the Sounders was his first in 2017 when he scored 11 goals in 31 appearances. Bruin, 33, suffered a knee injury in 2019 and struggled to regain form.
“We had coffee after the season and talked,” Schmetzer said of parting ways with Bruin. “It was class, really classy by Will to call me and say, ‘Hey coach, I’m going to sign with Austin.’ He appreciated the (six) years he had here and stuff like that. Really classy guy.”
Prestige lost?
The FIFA Council announced this week it approved the expansion of the Club World Cup to 32 teams. Seattle, as CCL winners, was part of a seven-team tournament, which was one representative from FIFA’s six regions around the world and a slot for the host country.
Soccer’s governing body said the new format will take place the summer of 2025. How the two-month-long event will be bracketed wasn’t disclosed but CONCACAF will have four teams. Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) will advance 12 clubs, the most of the six confederations.
“It may take away from being that special that there’s only seven teams in the tournament,” Rusnak said. “It will be interesting. Once the format of how you can qualify comes out, we’ll look at ways of how we can qualify for it again. If it’s only seven teams from the world who qualify, that’s more prestigious than 32, but either way, it’s a special tournament to be part of.”