Sounders captain Brad Evans: ‘This is a group that is together and ready to push for the playoffs’

Amid the most turbulent week in the club’s MLS history, Sounders captain Brad Evans on Thursday dismissed the idea of discord behind closed locker room doors.

On Tuesday, the club parted ways with longtime coach Sigi Schmid. Wednesday and Thursday brought a pair of new player signings. And on Sunday against the L.A. Galaxy, interim head coach Brian Schmetzer will take charge with 14 games to save the season.

But Evans downplayed the notion that a stretch of such tremendous upheaval is necessarily reflective of deeper-seated, systemic issues.

“This is a group that is together and ready to push for the playoffs,” Evans said. “… You’ve seen every single day guys come out here and bust their ass in training. There isn’t anybody here that’s taking breaks during training. Any time we talk, I’m impressed by everybody coming out with a level head after a loss. Guys are hungry, hungry to get results. They know what’s at stake. You guys can see that.”

Evans, whose personal history with Schmid stretches all the way back to the 2005 U-20 World Cup and his rookie season with the Columbus Crew, says he found out about the break with the veteran coach at the same time as everyone else: When owner Adrian Hanauer and sporting director Chris Henderson walked in with Schmid to the team’s weekly film session on Tuesday.

“The reaction is a little bit somber for me,” Evans said. “There’s something to be said about longevity and what the club has accomplished. But things, as it stands, aren’t good enough.

“He was always connecting with me. I can’t say speak for everybody else. Sigi and I would meet outside the field, asking what we can do better, what I can do better, what he can do better. Those were honest, candid conversations. But at the end of the day, the group wasn’t performing. It is what it is at that point.”

Evans described Thursday morning’s practice session as unusually intense, injected with an urgency that wasn’t on the same level a week ago. Coaching staff and players alike are fully aware that positions and jobs are on the line ahead of an offseason that promises even more turnover.

“Let each and every person know that this is a business,” Evans said. “No matter who you are, you’re pretty much expendable when you’re not getting results. Let’s get the results and make sure that we keep this group together, because we like each other. And move forward.

“Guys are in different contract situations, but the front office will tell you that this is a business number one. The goal is to get results. … If I’m in that position, I’m getting somebody who gets the job done. We’re still fighting for wins. We’re fighting for jobs. We’re fighting for fans and we’re fighting for our families. Everything is on the line.”