After a practice this week, Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer noted that “it’s always harder to repeat something.”
He was speaking specifically about a certain individual’s performance, but the sentiment holds true in a general sense for those who, like the Sounders, open the season Saturday night at Houston in defense of their 2016 MLS Cup title.
It’s absolutely very difficult to sustain that level of excellence over the course of the season when every team is targeting you. And the fight is different whether you’re coming up the mountain or trying to stay there.
But the theory is open to serious debate this season as the Sounders, at 0-0 right now, seem miles closer to the 2017 championship than the 2016 club did when they were in what looked like an inescapable midseason abyss.