The practice at the Xbox Pitch of Qwest Field Tuesday morning left Seattle Sounders Coach Sigi Schmid pleased.

It was reminiscent of last Thursday’s practice prior to Saturday night’s home clash against the New England Revolution.  The pacing and skilled effectiveness of the first half resulted in a 3-0 lead, which was ultimately the final score.

Many thought that the spirited practices leading up to the New England game proved to be a strong victory catalyst.

Schmid is hoping that the same pattern will assert itself Thursday night in Seattle as the Sounders host DC United.  With a victory, the Sounders can move up to the .500 mark.

“Well, definitely we want to do well in this game,” Schmid said in a news conference following Tuesday’s practice.  “What we did against New England was just one game. It was just one step so we have got to take a lot more steps to get ourselves back to where we want to be. But the spirit of the squad is good. I thought training today was good, the finishing was sharp. If we can continue to build upon what we did on Saturday, we will be okay.”

The Sounders coach then commented on DC United’s defense:

“Well, you make note of it but obviously, even at home last Saturday, they had a cautious game plan. So they put a lot of people behind the ball. They are really trying to limit the space that they leave behind their defense. From that standpoint, they make it difficult for you to attack and that’s sort of been the change they have undertaken over the last four or five games and that’s why they have been also rewarded with some results because they just made it harder for teams to beat them.”

As for the D.C. United personnel, Schmid said the following:

 “Obviously they have got a big striker in [Danny] Allsopp, sometimes [Adam] Cristman plays there, too. [Santino] Quaranta is back on the field for them. He’s got some cleverness and ingenuity and can open people up that way. [Chris] Pontius is a very hardworking player on the outside. The middle of their defense, when [Dejan] Jakovic and [Juan Manuel] Pena’s in there, we’re not sure if Pena’s going to play, is pretty solid; a lot of experience. I think with Jakovic he is a good, young, Canadian international, and with [Troy] Perkins they have an experienced goalkeeper. So they are a good team down the middle of the field but they are a team that hasn’t gotten a lot of results this year and as a result, they have been searching for their confidence. But as of late, they have gotten good results so their confidence has gotten better.”

DC United stands at 2-8-1 and has amassed seven points.  The team resides in the East basement and is tied with Philadelphia for the lowest point total.

After starting 0-5-0 under new coach Curt Onalfo, however, United has begun to settle in and has collected four points from its last two outings. DC drew 0-0 with MLS cup champions Real Salt Lake at home last week.

The Sounders are coming off their most impressive performance of the MLS season thus far.  The win over the New England Revolution was the same 3-0 score as the triumph in the friendly with Boca Juniors, which also drew praise.

Seattle is bidding to win two in a row for the first time in 2010. The team stands at 4-5-3 and has garnered 15 points.

The Sounders are 4-2-1 against teams in the MLS Eastern Conference. A win would vault Seattle from a tie for sixth in the West to fourth.

Thursday’s contest will be carried live nationally via ESPN2.

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