Seattle Sounders manager Sigi Schmid has claimed that defending as a team has made it possible for the team to concede only a few number of goals at the start of the 2014 MLS season. The club have allowed just four goals in the opening four matches, but they have not been able to get consistent results due to the strikers not performing well.

One of the main reasons for the impressive defence has been the performances of Chad Marshall. He has played in the MLS for more than 10 years and he has already been named as the MLS Defender of the Year twice in his career.

Sigi Schmid decided to bring him from Columbus Crew in the summer, according to the england italia odds. The two goals that Seattle Sounders conceded this campaign have come from Jermain Defoe, who joined Toronto from Tottenham in the January transfer window. They have kept a clean sheet in the other two matches, while Marshall prepares to meet his former club Columbus Crew in the next league match. He says that although teammates are willing to talk with each other on the pitch and it helps them organise much better.

Schmid has also been fielding a consistent line up at the back. The likes of Marshall, Djimi Traore and goalkeeper Stefan Frei have formed the backbone of an impressive defence.

“We’re willing to talk to each other and organize and I think when you do that and play for each other, you get results like we’ve gotten,” said Marshall. “We’ve defended as a team. We’ve done a better job in terms of our team defending,” Schmid said. “We worked hard during the preseason and you have to give credit to the new players because they came here and played very well. We have very good defenders. We need to perform well to keep our place because we have somebody that can take your place. You can’t fall asleep,” Traore said.