SEATTLE — The faces of Cristian Roldan and Stefan Frei in the postgame press-conference was unmistakable. The distant look, the red eyes, the downward glances, the pursed lips, the fidgeting. This was the look of bitter disappointment, at two players who have enjoyed a shocking degree of postseason success, but who had suffered a fate normally reserved for others.
Their words effectively confirmed as much.
Roldan called it a “bitter end to the season.” Frei bemoaned the lost opportunity. Head coach Brian Schmetzer was even more blunt, saying “losing in the first round is a failure.”
The feelings were, of course, understandable.