Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - Seattle Sounders FC will be looking to reverse
its poor run of form on Wednesday when it welcomes Sporting Kansas City to
CenturyLink Field.
The Sounders are in the midst of a five-game winless run, most recently
getting on the wrong end of a 4-1 thumping at the hands of the Montreal
Impact.
"It's frustrating," said defender Zach Scott. "It's not indicative of the team
we are. To be frank, it's embarrassing to lose like that. ... It felt like
they were playing with a couple more guys than us the entire game."
Should Seattle lose Wednesday, it will set a new MLS record for the club's
longest stretch without a win.
Head coach Sigi Schmid sent a strong message to his team, signaling that they
need to play better or find more time on the bench.
"Everyone individually needs to play better or we need to put guys on the
field who can play better," said Schmid. "We just need to find guys who can
play better."
Seattle's home form this season leaves a lot to be desired. The Sounders are
5-3-0 in the Emerald City, leaving the door wide open for a Sporting side
riding a three-game unbeaten run to come in a steal three points.
Most recently, Sporting claimed a 2-0 home win over lowly Toronto FC. The
highlight of the affair was when Graham Zusi recorded his eighth assist of the
season, delivering a corner kick to the back post where Julio Cesar hammered
home a volley in spectacular fashion.
"A lot of guys on this team are a force to be reckoned with in the air," Zusi
said. "Teal (Bunbury), C.J. (Sapong), Aurelien (Collin) and Julio (Cesar) have
really done their part.
"Over the past two years now, we have become really dangerous on set pieces. I
take the free kicks quite a bit, but these guys have done great to finish them
off."
Kei Kamara is set to return to the club after a stint with the Sierra Leone
national team, but head coach Peter Vermes remains somewhat hesitant to thrust
him back into the starting XI.
"He is probably coming off a 48-hour plane trip," Vermes said. "It's good that
he will be back but at the same time, he is going to come back from a long
trip so we will continue with the way we are going.
"We have four games in the next two-week period. We have to recover and get
ready, and then we will assess how everyone is doing on Wednesday."
The Sports Network