Sounders to Stick with 4-3-3 Against Club America
By Ben Renner
The Sounders crushed the LA Galaxy last week last despite Obafemi Martins’ sudden departure. Their next test will be in the CONCACAF Champions League knockout round.
Tomorrow, the Sounders will face Club America in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League knockout round. They will presumably use the same 4-3-3 formation they used to dismantle the LA Galaxy last week to round out their preseason.
The start of the regular season will present Sounders coach Sigi Schmid with challenges he couldn’t have predicted heading into the offseason. Martins is gone, despite Schmid’s insistence that nothing has been finalized in interviews after the Galaxy match, yet the Sounders will use a “next man up” approach and avoid straying from its established formation.
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Against the Galaxy, the consistency worked. Andreas Ivanschitz scored two goals from his attacking midfield position and star rookie forward Jordan Morris recorded two assists. Morris of course will be crucial to sustaining the Sounders attack without Martins. He will have to step up and replace at least some of the prolific scoring and distribution that Martins provided to the team.
Schmid and company aren’t worried about the Sounders and the loss of their top scorer from last season. This is a team that is deep enough to still be in contention in the Western Conference without Martins. Still, the Sounders 4-0 victory over the Galaxy last week was preseason. The rest of the MLS will be watching to see how the Sounders hang with reigning CONCACAF champion Club America tomorrow evening ahead of their MLS season opener on March 6th.
Next: Silver Lining to Martins Departure?
The Sounders should be able to pass these early tests. The true test will be in the dog days of summer, when those inexperienced in the long, taxing MLS season, like Morris, will get a full reckoning of their physical and mental conditioning, and international players leave to fulfill overseas commitments. A strong start will help propel them through the stretch, and it all begins tomorrow night.