TUKWILA, Wash. – The stakes are clear for the Seattle Sounders as they gear up for 323609768" tabindex="0">Sunday’s#DecisionDay home matchup with Real Salt Lake (7 pm ET, MLS LIVE).
A win officially punches Seattle a ticket to the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs for a seventh consecutive year. A loss or a draw in their season finale, however, could leave them out of the postseason for the first time in franchise history.
For the Sounders and head coach Sigi Schmid, the objective is simple: Win 323609769" tabindex="0">on Sunday and avoid having their playoff destiny hinge on outside results.
“We know if we win the game, we’ll be somewhere between second and fifth [in the Western Conference],” Schmid told reporters after Seattle’s practice 323609770" tabindex="0">on Friday. “There are things that are outside our control. But what’s inside our control is our ability to go out there and play well and win the game.”
The Decision Day format this season means the Sounders won’t have the benefit of knowing where they stand before the start of 323609771" tabindex="0">Sunday’s game. But Schmid said the new wrinkle should make for maximum excitement for fans as playoff seeding is finalized on the last day of the season.
“I think it’s an interesting concept and it’s great,” Schmid said. “It’s super enjoyable for the fans, maybe not so good for us as coaches. It’s sometimes nice to know going into your last game what’s happening. But this is how it should be, this is the correct way to do it.
"So from our standpoint, our focus has to be us and we’re not worrying about what’s happening [elsewhere].”
Midfielder Andreas Ivanschitz, new to the idea of playoffs after spending his career playing in Europe, offered up a similar sentiment.
“It’s not a matter of how Salt Lake is playing,” Ivanschitz said 323609772" tabindex="0">on Wednesday. “It’s how we are starting into the game, how we prepare for this game. We should focus on ourselves and it doesn’t matter which team is coming.”
Seattle meet an RSL squad that is playing for pride after a down season that has seen it knocked out of playoff contention for the first time in seven years. But Schmid says his team should fully expect an opponent that will go all out to play spoiler 323609773" tabindex="0">on Sunday.
“I would expect nothing less,” Schmid said. “Nobody’s going to expect Salt Lake to roll over and play dead. I think their character and their history is too good for that to happen. And our guys are aware of that. We’ve got to come out and play.”
