The frustrating results are starting to pile up and they have some eerily similar characteristics.
Coming off two disappointing performances, the Seattle Sounders went on the road to play Austin FC in a match that felt like a potential get-right game. The Sounders had never before lost at Q2 Stadium, had beaten Austin earlier this year and were trending healthier than they’d been in several weeks.
Although the first half didn’t go exactly how they hoped — trailing 1-0 after a sloppy giveaway in their own end — they equalized at the start of the second half and were looking like the team more likely to score over the game’s final 20 minutes. As the match went into stoppage time, it was looking very much like they were going to settle for an annoying but grudgingly acceptable road point against a team who was chasing them for playoff position.
Instead, several defensive lapses allowed Austin to grab the winner on what was essentially the game’s final play. Zero points and a third consecutive deflating result.
Only a few weeks removed from what felt like a loud statement of intent that put them among the league’s top contenders, the Sounders have now lost two straight and haven’t been able to fully control any of the three games they’ve played since winning Leagues Cup. What makes this stretch worse, though, are the mental and physical errors that have led to many of the goals. This was also the second time in this stretch where the Sounders dropped points on a late goal that started with a throw-in.
“In this moment we all have to take some accountability and hold ourselves to a higher standard,” Sounders midfielder Paul Rothrock said in the postgame press conference. “We’re dealing with a bit of a hangover and have to take some accountability now and raise our standard a bit. We’ve got to find a way to get a couple wins before the playoffs and put ourselves in a position to make a run.”
While the defensive errors are easy enough to focus on, both Rothrock and Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer also voiced frustration with the team’s inability to finish more of the chances they created.
In the second half alone, Obed Vargas, Jordan Morris and Georgi Minoungou all all had high-quality looks that either missed the target or were saved. The best of those came in the 86th minute when Morris sent a beautiful cutback through the box that found Minoungou about 10 yards out and with a mostly open goal in front of him. Minoungou made good contact, but hit it too close to the middle of the goal, allowing Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver to make a diving stop just before the ball crossed the goal line.
“We had clear chances to make it 2-1, 3-1 and put this game to bed,” Schmetzer said. “They have to execute. Defenders always get the wrath because it’s easy to be negative. You have to look at both things evenly. You have to hold the attacking players accountable, too.
“Stuver stood on his head tonight. He made some really good saves. He had an excellent performance. But at end of the day, our guys have to score those.”
The good news, if you choose to look for it, is that the Sounders did look a bit more like themselves against Austin. The frustration with the finishing aside, the key offensive players seem to be finding one another. Even playing on the road in hot and humid conditions, the Sounders played well enough to deserve a better result.
Although the results have been bad these last few games, the underlying numbers seem to suggest this is something short of a five-alarm fire. The Sounders are well aware time is running short to get things straightened out, though.
“We’ve had really good form since the Club World Cup and this is a little hiccup here,” Rothrock said. “We’re working different guys back into the lineup and they offer different things. Those relationships are going to grow and develop over the next few weeks.
“It’s a moment of testing our resilience and testing our mindset. I’m confident we’re going to bounce back. Everyone needs to step it up just a little more.”
