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Seattle hopes to take momentum into the postseason

Oct 21, 2011 - 7:33 PM Carson, CA (Sports Network) - With the number two spot in Western Conference already secured, Seattle Sounders FC travels to The Home Depot Center to face Chivas USA in a bid to carry its momentum into the postseason.

Seattle has won four of its last five in addition to claiming maximum points from its last four road matches. Away from home this season, the Sounders have posted a league-best 29 points with an 8-3-5 record.

Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid hopes that their form down the stretch will translate into another match in Carson, Calif., site of the 2011 MLS Cup final.

"Playing at The Home Depot [Center] is a field that hopefully we'll be playing on again, so playing well on that field is just another thing that will serve well for our memories," Schmid told MLSsoccer.com. "It's the main thing of continuing to be a good road team."

The Sounders have only managed one shutout in their last eight matches, forcing Schmid to stress the importance of maintaining a sound backline heading into the postseason.

"I think the last few goals we've given up, they're what I called [recently] 'soft goals,'" Schmid added. "We want to eliminate that. We want to eliminate those kinds of errors and those kinds of decisions."

Chivas and Seattle first squared-off on Aug. 13 this season, playing to a scoreless draw at CenturyLink Field after Alvaro Fernandez failed to convert a penalty kick in the first half.

This time around, Seattle will be facing a Chivas team that has struggled down the stretch, as the Goats have collected just one win in their last ten regular season matches.

With a 1-5-4 record over that period, Chivas has seen its playoff hopes fall by the wayside. Out of playoff contention, the Goats will simply be playing for pride on Saturday to end their season on a high.