Hopeful for a morale victory, the Sounders conceded the Leagues Cup with a youthful lineup | OneFootball

The starting line-up had some recognizable faces such as Stefan Frei in goal, but there were players playing out of their position and some that made their professional debuts. Schmetzer’s line-up supported his post-game comments that the rotated squad was an effort to prepare the team for the busy schedule coming up in MLS play. Within a week the Sounders will play at Vancouver, at Austin, and back in Seattle against Cincinnati.

Brian Schmetzer said after the game that if they have a reward for best keeper of the tournament, that Stefan Frei deserves it. The 40-year-old keeper played exceptionally well, giving a reminder to Sounders fans of all the monumental moments and trophies he has earned along the way. When asked about next year, Frei was quick to point out that his contract runs into next season.

While Charlie Gaffney made his first-team debut, Seattle native Gallatin Sandnes stole the show in the first half by scoring a goal in his first start for the Sounders. As the excitement died down and the weight of their legs became an issue, Chivas went to its stars off the bench to put pressure on the Sounders and salvage a win before departing the tournament. When the Sounders had no answers for their subs, they too were knocked out of the tournament.

For fans, having a majority of the fans in the stadium rooting for the visiting team, as well as the absence of many of the veteran stars, made the game difficult to stomach. In the long run, providing rest for so many of the players who have been grinding it out every game is necessary, but fans never like to see their team concede in any fashion, for whatever reason.

Moving forward, the Sounders still have two major question marks for the remainder of the season.

So far this season, the Sounders have had to rely on minutes played by call-ups more than any season in memory. So far this season, the injury bug has bitten the following players (some of them more than once and all of them for multiple games): Paul Arriola, Hassani Dotson, Yéimar, Kim Kee-Hee, Jordan Morris, Nikola Petković, Jackson Ragen, Alex Roldan, Christian Roldan, and Pedro de la Vega.

Last year, the Sounders boasted having so much talent that every training session had players trying desperately to earn more minutes. This season, it feels like they are trying to find enough bodies to field a proper lineup.

With the young players gaining in experience and confidence, it may be setting the team up for future years as they get a good look at their youth stacked up against a seasoned Chivas squad. This begs the more immediate question: Are the Sounders able and ready to take on the remainder of the season, or are they eyeing another early exit?