When forward Steve Zakuani learned that Seattle Sounders FC had made him the No. 1 pick of last winter’s MLS SuperDraft he was delighted.
Zakuani didn’t know much about his new home, but he had heard its weather is a lot like in London, where he grew up.
The Sounders got a taste of that cold London-like drizzle Saturday when they pushed their record to 2-0-0 with a win over Real Salt Lake. And similar conditions awaited them as they reported to practice Tuesday.
“It reminds me of home,” Zakuani said after two hours of training at Starfire Sports Complex. “But it’s not really too cold, so I can’t complain. In the game on Saturday, it rained during the day and the field was wet and slick, and the ball was zipping around. I think that helped us. It definitely helps me because I like to play with speed.”
The consensus among Sounders players is that Seattle’s weather and Qwest Field’s FieldTurf combine for a quicker game, which also brings challenges.
“If you don’t play (the ball) exactly to feet it’s going to skip past people,” coach Sigi Schmid said. “You have to play a little more to feet than you would normally, a little less into space. And then every FieldTurf is different: the way our turf plays versus the way New England plays versus the way New York plays versus the way Toronto plays.”
The Sounders will be in Toronto on Saturday, meeting the Reds in their home opener. The Saturday afternoon temperature there is expected to peak in the low 40s. However, cold isn’t the weather condition that concerns Schmid most.
“The worst thing for soccer is wind,” he said. “... It affects the kinds of passes you can hit. It affects your ability in terms of shooting. ... It will definitely be cold up there. That’s something that we’ve got to be ready for. (Toronto’s BMO Field) lays just off the lake, so sometimes it gets windy, as well.”
Added time
Schmid said he was more satisfied with his team’s 2-0 win over Salt Lake after watching on tape than he had been watching it live. However, he still believes his team surrendered the ball too often and too easily in the second half. ... Freddie Ljungberg and Nate Sturgis, who made their Sounders debuts Saturday after missing the opener with injuries, both seemed to come through the game fine. Barring setbacks, each could get extended minutes in Toronto. ... The Sounders worked on the natural grass field Tuesday to give the players’ bodies a break from the relatively rougher FieldTurf surface.
Don Ruiz, 253-597-8808
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