Sounders vs. San Jose - Aftermatch Aftermath: Once Again

I bet you're all come here expecting doom and gloom after the Seattle Sounders lost to the San Jose Earthquakes at home. Again. I bet you're expecting me to talk about how without Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins that the Sounders team we saw this Saturday will be the team we'll be rooting for over the next couple months. Well, you're wrong.

As a writer it's not smart for me to immediately put you on the defensive because now it's you, the reader, versus me, the writer. But I don't want to be adversarial. I want to be friends! Afterall, I like the Sounders and I greatly dislike the Earthquakes; that's two things we have in common with each other. So best friends? Best friends!

Okay, so since we've established that there will be no doom and gloom here, I feel like, being such good friends as we are, to tell you the reason why. It's actually simple: this is a celebration. Chris Wondolowski didn't score against Seattle! Hooray! Any game where Wondo doesn't score is a good game to me.

Wait, what was that? Oh yeah, except when he's playing Belgium in the World Cup. That would've been nice. So yeah, I guess you're right. Any game where I'm rooting against him and he doesn't score is a good game to me. Did you notice how there's no more Steven Lenhart? Can you remember the last time you saw his bile-inducing person on the field? Can we say "good riddance" and not sound supremely bitter? I think we can.

If someone said that they could promise me that Wondo wouldn't score and Lenhart wouldn't ever play again in exchange for a Sounders loss, I dunno, I might take them up on that. I mean, the Sounders are gonna lose games, it's gonna happen just based on MLS play and parity and the quality of PRO referees. In last year's Supporters Shield winning season the Sounders lost 10 games. That's a lot.

The Sounders have now played 16 games and lost 5. That's on pace for just over 10 losses. They've also tied twice, which is on pace for 4 draws over the season, the exact same they had last season. Pretty much the Sounders are on pace to have the exact same record that they had last year, the year in which they won a major trophy for how good their record was. I guess what I'm trying to say is that losses happen whether we play like shit or play great and get unlucky.

What's different this season is that we've been beset by absences, which aren't looking like they'll let up anytime soon. Gold Cup will come and some of our starters will go. Injuries will rear their heads. Suspensions will occur. Already this season Osvaldo Alonso has missed 6 games, Obafemi Martins has missed 5 (and surely more to come), and Clint Dempsey has missed 4 with many more games missed on the horizon. The Sounders need to adapt regardless and put together results however they can. So why no doom and gloom over these things? Well, the Sounders have Sigi Schmid and other teams don't. The Sounders have young talent who are just getting their professional legs underneath them. The Sounders have a fantastic front office with an ownership group committed to winning and a GM who knows how to put together championship winning teams.

I was thinking about something though. Maybe the reason the Sounders are so vulnerable to the Earthquakes are just that, because the entire Seattle area is built upon lahars whilst being surrounded by water. One big earthquake shows up and the entire region will get sucked into the ground and Seattle, erstwhile the jewel of the Western Hemisphere, will be torn asunder by tsunamis. I mean, it kinda makes sense is a psychological horror sort of way, so maybe the players just can't get that notion out of their heads. Oh, and if you're new to the Northwest and this is the first time you've heard that we'll all be swallowed by the ground if a big earthquake happens, uh, sorry to break the bad news.

Things could be worse, things could always be worse. So chin up, best friend. When have the Sounders ever let us down? I just hope Brad Evans is okay.

Gifs

Oh joy. Another game against San Jose.

Which also means the Ultras will be at the game.

No Clint or Oba? Surely this will be a majestic game.

All this possession, Seattle's got San Jose right where we want them.

Or not.

Not the counterattack goals. Should've known better.

You can do it, Sounders, you can come back from this!

Ugh, I knew this game was a trap!

I didn't exactly see this outcome happening, but I should've.

How does this always seem to happen against San Jose?

Is the game over? Okay, good, the game is over.