Schmid: ‘Up to us to step up to the challenge’ of Rapids

After a day off Tuesday, the Sounders returned to training today at Starfire Sports in Tukwila. DP forward Nelson Valdez did light solo work, and while coach Sigi Schmid cited progress, he replied “We’ll see,” when asked Valdez’s status for Saturday when league-leading Colorado visits CenturyLink Field.

Here’s some of what Schmid had to say about that match:

“It’s a good game. We want to win every game we play. Obviously at home we want to win. Colorado’s gotten off to a great start. They’re a very confident team, as I said when we played them the last time. They’re a team now that feels they can take their confidence on the road with the tie that they had against Columbus last week, and it’s up to us to step up to the challenge.”

After training, goalkeeper Stefan Frei along with teammates Aaron Kovar and Cristian Roldan took part in an art promotion that the club previewed this way:

Under the creative direction of Frei, the team's goalkeeper who is also a talented artist, Sounders FC fans have the opportunity to support the team through the creation of a large canvas that is being unveiled on top of the East Delta Sky360 Club at CenturyLink Field on September 28 at Seattle's home match against Chicago. Developed over the course of the season, Frei and Sounders FC fans are creating this multi-piece canvas, approximately 200 feet long and 75 feet wide, with each piece of fabric having its own special design.

Frei, Voyager Middle School art students, Sounders FC Alliance Council members, Sounders FC executives, representatives from Delta and select fans are uniting to create the first piece of the canvas at the Sounders FC Training Facility. ... They will kick soccer balls dipped in paint onto the first piece of the canvas, creating a unique design.

This story was originally published May 18, 2016 at 2:15 PM with the headline "Schmid: ‘Up to us to step up to the challenge’ of Rapids."