Sounders FC brings some experienced players into MLS playoffs

Tyrone Marshall has seen the highs and lows of the Major League Soccer playoffs. He knows anything, anything can happen.

Take 2003, when Marshall's Los Angeles Galaxy team won the first game of the aggregate goal series against San Jose 2-0 and was full of confidence.

San Jose rallied and then some. It went ahead 4-2 to tie up the series at the end of regulation.

"We went into overtime and then they scored," Marshall said "5-4. That was a tough memory for me."

Of course, Marshall, a Sounders FC defender, has been on the other side. The 2002 Galaxy team on which he played won the MLS Cup, which is what Marshall and his current teammates hope to accomplish in their first season.

"It's a different season when it comes to the playoffs, and if your mindset is right and you go in there focused and ready to give 110 percent, at the end of the day you'll get results from all that effort," Marshall said.

Players like Marshall are part of what makes Sounders FC not your typical expansion team. Sounders FC is built on a mixture of young and promising players who have never been in MLS playoffs, together with a crop of seasoned veterans who know what MLS playoff soccer is all about.

Marshall has 21 postseason games to his résumé. Nineteen for midfielder Peter Vagenas. Fourteen for forward-midfielder Nate Jaqua. Seven for defender James Riley and four for midfielder Brad Evans.

"It's a whole new ballgame for sure. Once you get into the playoffs, it's anyone's game," said Riley, who has also been part of an aggregate goal comeback in the playoffs while with the New England Revolution. "Any of the eight teams have a chance to win it. If we're up or if we're down, we're definitely going to keep that in mind."

Sounders FC is going into Thursday night's home match on a bit of a roll. It has won its last three games and was finally able to win at Qwest Field for the first time since July.

Top that with two wins over its playoff opponent, the Houston Dynamo, this season (one in the U.S. Open Cup) and a draw in Houston, and confidence is high.

"We're kind of young enough, and we've got the veteran mix where I think it's just the right chemistry right now," Riley said.

Sounders FC coach Sigi Schmid said he and the team talked about veteran leadership over game film study Monday. He feels the idea of going into the playoffs with a new team is more mental than physical, and that younger players shouldn't take this opportunity for granted as an annual thing.

"This group is unique this year and this is their chance to make it happen for themselves," Schmid said. "It won't be the same group next year ... Obviously there are veteran guys on this team that have been through it before, and guys who have played in important games in Europe. They'll be able to share those situations and those memories and the preparation they go through."

José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or jromero@seattletimes.com