Ship’s Log: 3/17: Time for a gutcheck
It’s amazing how fast the vibes can change in this league.
A season that began with so much promise for the Seattle Sounders suddenly feels like it’s already on the ropes. The CCC dreams have been dashed in unceremonious fashion. The injury situation is brutal. The result in Matchday 4 did little to boost morale, as the Sounders took a frustrating 1-0 defeat at St. Louis City.
It leaves the season at something off a crossroads, which is a funny statement to make in mid-March, but I do think it’s accurate. How the team makes it through these next few weeks will determine whether this god-awful week winds up defining the 2025 campaign, or gets remembered as a blip on the radar.
Seattle’s next chance to right the ship comes this Saturday in the Nico Lodeiro Revenge Game against the Houston Dynamo, who are not off to a particularly good start to their season.
While the Sounders’ start can be fairly described as a mixed bag, Houston’s has just been downright bad. Ben Olsen's side come into the match with an 0W-3L-1D record and a -5 goal differential as they struggle to acclimate to life without Hector Herrera. But that also makes them a desperate opponent. Not to mention, I would expect Lodeiro to return to Lumen with a point to prove after reports that his attempt to return to the club over the offseason was rebuffed.
It’s going to take more than one game to fully salvage the positive vibes that the Sounders entered the season with, but a win on Saturday would be a great start.
- Armchair Analyst Matthew Doyle might have been understating it when he said that “the Sounders seem a little cursed” in his Matchday 4 takeaways column.
- Joe Lowery took a look at why Seattle and LAFC are struggling (beyond just CCC obligations) after getting pegged as Western Conference powers this preseason.
- Scott Hanson at the Seattle Times has a recap here of that Matchday 4 defeat at Energizer Park.
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Catching up on Sounder at Heart
Here’s what you missed on the site this week.
Sounders
Next match: Saturday, March 22 vs. Houston Dynamo FC | 7:30 pm PT | MLS Season Pass
- Postgame Pontifications: Can’t Catch a Break
- Nos Audietis: Injuries will severely test Sounders’ depth
- Two more likely starters will miss Sounders’ next match
- Seattle Sounders at St. Louis City SC: community player ratings form
Reign
Next match: Saturday, March 22 at North Carolina Courage | 4 pm PT
- Reign vs Gotham Recap: A tie in the rain
- Three stats: Seattle Reign vs. Gotham
- Reign vs. Gotham: Highlights, stats, quotes
- Lobbing Scorchers Kickoff: Interview with Seattle Reign assistant + MLS legend Lee Nguyen
Defiance
Next match: Thursday, March 20 at Washington Athletic Club | 7 PM | US Open Cup | YouTube
Spokane
Next match: March 19 at Ballard FC | 7 PM | US Open Cup | YouTube
Looking back at the news
Everything else you need to know
- FIFA report finds wide discrepancy in women’s soccer pay.
- A look at Mauricio Pochenttino’s Nations League squad.
- MLS Next Pro still thinks they’re going to expand to as many as 50 teams.