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When Sounders fan Austin Woodland saw star goalkeeper Stefan Frei on the Bainbridge Island ferry, he had to give his condolences for the “Group of Death.
“Man, that was a tough draw,” the 31-year-old season ticket holder told the 'keeper. “We got put in a rough group there, didn’t we?”
Seattle returned to MLS play Saturday night against Austin FC, following three group stage losses in the FIFA Club World Cup.
The Sounders competed in the tournament’s “Group of Death,” facing Copa Libertadores champion Botafogo, Spanish giant Atlético de Madrid and reigning UEFA Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain.
Woodland saw Frei en route home after the PSG game at Lumen Field on Monday.
“I was like, ‘Man, it’s pretty cool, though, to see you saving shots from some of the best players in the world,’” Woodland added before Saturday’s game. “I just told him, 'Good job.'”
Frei played a full 90 minutes in each of the group stage matches. Despite conceding seven goals to the international giants, he made 12 saves.
And Frei wasn’t the only Sounder holding his own.
“The Sounders played really well for the group that they got drawn,” Woodland said. “I mean that was unfortunate. ... I thought the guys played well for the teams that we had to play against. We were playing with arguably one of the best from South America, Atlético who is always in the running with some of the best teams in Europe and PSG being the reigning best right now.”
Seattle lost 2-1 to Botafogo on June 15, but left Lumen Field with 60% of the possession, 23 total shots and a passing completion rate of 87%.
The Sounders fell 3-1 to Atlético Madrid on June 19 but battled for the entire 90 minutes and finished with 16 shots and an xG (expected goals) of 1.50. PSG bested the Sounders 2-0 on Monday and showed its respect for the Seattle side by featuring 10 of the 11 starters from its UEFA Champions League final victory over Inter Milan.
Sounders fans are impressed with the team’s CWC showing.
“Many people thought we were going to lose and not stand up to them, but we were able to keep up with them and actually put pressure on them, so it was a fun game to watch,” said Jorge Orozco, a 47-year-old season ticket holder who went to all three of the Sounders’ Club World Cup games with his son, Logan.
“It was very surprising to me,” Logan, 16, added. “I thought the outcome would be a little bit worse because PSG just won the Champions League, so they are probably the best team in the world right now.”
PSG defeated Atlético 4-0 in its first group stage match on June 15.
“Only going 2-0 to PSG while Atlético went 4-0, we did better than Atlético,” Logan said. “That is kind of crazy.”
Seattle is back in MLS action until Leagues Cup at the end of July, and the confidence of fans is riding high.
“If the Sounders play like they were playing the last three games, I feel like the rest of the MLS season should be cake,” Jorge said.
The Sounders (8-6-5) won 2-0 against Austin (7-7-6) to snap a five-game losing streak across all competitions.
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