Sounders’ second-half mentality shift catapults them to a hard-fought draw in Houston

Trust in each other was the determining factor in the hard-fought result against the Texas team.

“We came together as a group,” Rothrock said. “The team made a really good effort, we had some big periods of possession late in the game, so it was pretty much a well-deserved point on the road.”

The Sounders had the potential to come out on top with the performance shown in the last 45 games, but head coach Brian Schmetzer was happy with the result given there was little recovery time after the last game against Minnesota United.

“It’s huge,” Schmetzer said. “The turnaround is a testament to the fact that this is a very good team.”

Whether it’s defeating the Loons at home this weekend or securing a point in an away game a few days later, the Sounders are moving in a positive direction and will hope to continue that momentum as they prepare for Saturday’s home game against FC Dallas (7:30 p.m. PT; MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, 93.3 KJR FM, El Rey 1360AM |

“They never gave up,” Schmetzer said. “For them to come back and play in the second half as well as they did, that’s going to help us with Dallas because Dallas got a big win tonight as well.”