Seattle Sounders star Freddie Ljungberg was not too perturbed when head coach Sigi Schmid showed frustration at the referee and his own players in the 1-0 loss to San Jose Earthquakes.

The former Sweden international said it was healthy to show passion when your team is not performing well as it reflects a real concern for achieving positive results.

"I've played in the biggest teams in the world, you need to get upset if the ref isn't doing the right thing as you think. If you lose your passion, you won't play," he said.

"I don't agree on that. You need to have your passion to play. And I think that's what the fans want to see as well, because the people that care have reactions to things that happen."