They can’t all be classics, but they count for three points all the same.
As the Seattle Sounders prepared for their matchup against FC Dallas in heat of Texas, goalkeeper Spencer Richey — seemingly designated for midweek duties in the Lone Star State — said head coach Brian Schmetzer told the players it likely wasn’t going to be the prettiest match. Coming off of an emotional 6-2 road demolition of their hated rivals, there were a couple of things that portended a grind of a match. Inferno-like conditions aside, the Sounders were coming in with only two full days of rest and a 1,700-mile flight.