Even though the Seattle Sounders are favored to win their first playoff match of 2016 against Sporting Kansas City, it’s definitely not a sure thing. Sporting won both matchups between the sides during the regular season, including the 3-0 drubbing that will forever be known as the tipping point of Sigi Schmid’s tenure with the club. But current head coach Brian Schmetzer isn’t worried about the lingering effects of that result: “This is a different group; it’s definitely different than the game in July.”
The introduction of Schmetzer’s coaching and managing styles changed the course of the Sounders’ season, as well as the signings of Nicolas Lodeiro and Flaco Fernandez.