Seattle Sounders gear up for second leg against San Francisco FC

Earlier in the 2011 MLS regular season when the Seattle Sounders struggled offensively, their defense was the one bright spot fans were proud off. Unfortunately, for the Sounders, the defense has struggled in their last six games, conceding a total of 17 goals.

To make matters worse for the Sounders, their defensive problems couldn't have come at a worse time. The Sounders, who were hoping to get past the first round of the CONCACAF Champions League for the first time in team history, will need to win their second leg match against Panama's San Francisco FC by at least two goals. The Sounders can force the Aug. 3 game between the two teams into overtime with a 1-0 lead at the end of regulation, but a single goal scored by San Francisco FC will give it the tiebreaker advantage.

"At the end of the day, the game's the same," Seattle coach Sigi Schmid told reporters about their upcoming match against San Francisco FC. "We [have] to win by two goals. You can't have players losing the ball 30 percent of the time on the dribble. That means that they are going at some body and guys are pushing forward into space. They're turning the ball over and now you are in a bad defensive position because you thought the guy was going to play the ball and instead he lost it."

Weather and field conditions played a large role between the two teams in the last encounter, which the Sounders lost 1-0 in Panama. Both offenses struggled during the game, and the lone goal of the match came via penalty kick.

The Seattle Sounders definitely have enough talent to hand San Francisco FC a serious beatdown at CenturyLink Field, but they'll need all the help they can get from their defense. It would be sad to see the Sounders leave the CONCACAF Champions League in the preliminary stages after all they have done this season.

David has been a fan of the Seattle Sounders for the past 2 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter.

Sources:
Andrew Winner, "CCL Preview: Defensive effort key for Sounders in 2nd leg"
Player and game information from ESPN.com