When Obafemi Martins scored the equalizer in the Seattle Sounders’ 1-1 draw against the Houston Dynamo on Sunday afternoon at BBVA Compass Stadium, he did not do any of his customary backflips in celebration.
Consider it a symbol for the work left to be done by the Sounders.
While Seattle remain above the red line in the Western Conference and on track to qualify for an Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs berth, their inability to beat the Dynamo means it will come down to the final game next week to ensure they will extend their postseason qualification streak to seven years.
Defender Chad Marshall, back in the lineup after a recent neck injury in training, summed up the subdued reaction to Martins’ late goal after the game.
“I think we were trying to get the win there, so we weren’t content with getting that goal,” he said.
Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid noted the playoff feel of the game, with Houston desperate to get a win to keep their own postseason hopes alive this season: “If this were the playoffs, a tie on the road is good.”
“[It’s] tough to play away from home against a team that has to win a game, otherwise they find themselves out of it,” Sounders captain Brad Evans said. “That was always going to be a difficult task, one that was similar to a playoff situation.”
Although Houston opened the scoring in the second half, a first-half near-miss by Martins and a pair of crucial saves in the second half by Dynamo goalkeeper Tyler Deric on Clint Dempsey did hint at how close Seattle were to grabbing all three points.
“I thought our game was a little bit passive, a little bit slow,” said Schmid. “Once they scored, I thought we became a lot more aggressive.
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“It’s on me, because I prepared the team tactically … we needed to be more aggressive.”
The club also realizes that it has some work to do ahead of the regular season finale, next Sunday against Real Salt Lake, even if the Western Conference foes have themselves already been eliminated from postseason contention.
And Evans believes there’s plenty of determination within the locker room to get the job done next week.
“We’ve come back from behind a couple times, so I think there’s fire, there’s been desperation to come back. If we didn’t tie these last two games, we’re out of the playoffs. So I think that shows a bit of character there.
“At this point, we’ve got to focus on ourselves.”
