Brian Schmetzer calls himself “a hate to lose kind of guy,” which means that for more than two months, the Sounders’ coach has experienced a sense of contentment — one that was sorely tested on Sunday night in their 1-1 tie with Portland.
After a muddled and middling start to their championship defense this season, the Sounders caught fire in mid-June and have reasserted themselves as the power of the Western Conference. Wins and draws have cascaded along their path, yet this week of Cascadia Cup competition has been admittedly empty. Frustrating. Anti-climactic. And downright unsatisfying.
No, the Sounders still haven’t tasted defeat since June 17, an unbeaten streak that reached 11 matches Sunday in the Derby-infused intensity of CenturyLink Field.