I got your 6 mentality taken on by the Sounders' Thomas

After the injury to Stefan Frei, Sounders fans are left wondering how the role of a back-up goalkeeper translates into playing in the starting position. Goalkeepers are like a different breed of person, but there are some similarities with their benched brethren.

While Sounders Nation was horrified by the injury, all those well wished seem to have paid off since scans were negative and Frei has been visiting with the team. While the nature of concussions leads to an unknown recovery time since it differs from person to person and from injury to injury, it is uncertain how much of the season Frei will miss. In the meantime, the Sounders will have Andrew Thomas stepping up for at least the next game this weekend against Sporting Kansas City.

That begs the question, what is it like to be a back-up goalkeeper, and what is it like when they get on the pitch?

There are advantages to being a back-up goalkeeper early in a player's career. They learn how to train as a professional, they work with top-notch coaches (like the Sounders' Tom Dutra) and they can learn from the starter's experience and play. Additionally, since there is little pressure, that allows for the strengthening of self-motivation and focusing on proper techniques and fundamentals.

As a back-up goalkeeper for a season in my young competitive soccer career (I was actually the 3rd string keeper), I got to focus on proper techniques and tested my limits. I didn't play that season. The second string keeper played in 2 games, one due to injury and one half of a non-league game. The 2nd string keeper went on to play for a division 1 team ranked in the AP polls due to his polished and consistent technical skills.

For the next season, both of the keepers ahead of me left and with no game time experience, I was on the pitch. While Thomas has played 15 games for the Sounders, the experience is similar. When coming off the bench the biggest adjustment is catching up to the speed of the game. As a keeper, there is a considerable time when the team is on the attack, but they need to keep up their focus and anticipate what may happen. When the speed of the game feels like it is in overdrive, it is also a matter of balancing excitement, adrenalin, and focusing on the task at hand. Thomas reported that he is still excited when gets to contribute on the pitch.

His 16th game in the MLS, Thomas will be facing Sporting Kansas City. SKC is on the outside of the playoffs looking in, being 3 points behind the last spot. They won their last game on the road and their home stand of 2 games kicks off this weekend as the Sounders come to town. The Sounders are hopeful to move up in the standings, so points are important for both clubs. SKC has its next 8 games against teams that are currently in playoff spots.

For SKC, the players to look for are team captain Erik Thommy, who had a goal and assist last game and Dejan Joveljic, who has 8 goals in last 7 appearances, and 33 goals since joining last season is second to only Messi. Thomas and the recently red carded back line for the Sounders will have to stop them in order to get those cherished points in the standings.

Along with Jordan Morris, both Kim Kee-Hee and Yeimar have been in full training this week. The Sounders tend to be cautious about injured players returning to the line-up, they may not see action this weekend, but their return is approaching. Losing both Frei and Paulo in the last week as well as Kossa-Rienzi's suspension for last game's red card, the Sounders may need to rely on their bench once again to continue their momentum this season.