Seattle coach: It s an honor to compete with Simeone and take advantage of Atletico Madrid s fatigue just ended the season

June 19th, Seattle Bayerns head coach Brian Schmetzer said his team will try to "give Atletico Madrid a warning" in Thursday's FIFA Club World Cup, just like they did before against Bottafogo.

Schmetzer believes that although they lost 1-2 to Bottafogo, that game gave them "great confidence" to face their next opponent Atletico Madrid.

Schmetzer: "It was an exciting game, and we really scared Botavgo. So we'll try to do the same here. If we get our potential and work harder, why not? We know we're not the side that is favored, and we know where we are. But that doesn't mean we won't go all out, because in order to have a chance to win, we have to work harder than some of the hardest-working teams in the world."

Speaking of Atletico Madrid, he said it was a "fast, athletic and passionate" team and praised the opposing coach Diego Simeone as a "legendary."

Schmetzer: "For me, it's an honor to be able to compete with him, but we have to go all out, after all, it's a real game, and for the players. They have a lot of talented players, but we also need to show competitiveness because it's an important event. They've had a long season and we're in the middle of the season. Can we get some advantages from it? At least be as enthusiastic as the last game and see how the game will go."

Schmetzer talks about Obed Vargas, one of two midfielders in the team, 19 years old, born in Alaska but played for the Mexican national team and is considered a rising star in North American football: "He's very excited about this game because Atletico Madrid is the team he supports. It's the team he's been paying attention to as he grew up."