Previewing Seattle's stretch run

With Leagues Cup in the bag, the MLS season resumes this weekend, with plenty left to be determined as far as playoff positioning on the Western Conference table. As Seattle look to secure home field advantage in the postseason, I took a look at the slate of games they'll navigate this month as the regular season enters its decisive phases.

Saturday, vs. LA Galaxy

Beating a team three times in a row is never easy, and that's what Seattle's going to have to do when they play Greg Vanney and Co. for the third time in a one-month span on Saturday. This time, the Galaxy have to come to Lumen Field after hosting those first two encounters, which Seattle won by a combined score of 6-0, including a pretty thorough demolition in the Leagues Cup semifinals. The Galaxy will be without standout winger Gabriel Pec due to yellow-card accumulation, depriving us of the usual theatrics that ensue when he matches up with Nouhou. There was a pretty big gap demonstrated between these two teams both times they played, so Seattle should be favored on their home field, where they're 8-1-4 in league play on the year.

Sept. 16, at Inter Miami CF

Seattle then heads to South Florida on a quick turnaround for a rematch with the side that famously started a massive brawl at Lumen Field after losing to Seattle 3-0 in the Leagues Cup final. Luis Suárez will be suspended, but the Sounders will likely have to contend with an angry and vengeance-seeking version of Lionel Messi. Can Seattle shut out the Herons after traveling cross-country on short rest for a second straight match? Even if they don't, there are pretty much always chances to be taken against this Miami defense.

Sept. 21 at Austin FC

Seattle's had some good times at Q2 Stadium over the years, even though it's known as one of the league's most difficult environments for opposing teams (the Raúl Ruidíaz wonder-goal in a game where they fielded one of the youngest lineups in MLS history comes to mind). I can tell you this Austin team has looked much better offensively the last few weeks after looking like one of the worst attacking teams in the league to start the season. They're also much more sound defensively than either the Galaxy or Miami, so this should be a good test for Seattle's red-hot attack. Austin midfielder Owen Wolff has been one of the league’s under-the-radar breakout stars of the 2025 season.

Sept. 27 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps

The last time Seattle played their Cascadia rivals to the North, it did not go well (two red cards in three minutes) in what eventually was a 3-0 loss. Assuming they can keep all 11 men on the field this time at Lumen, this should be another good measuring stick-type game against a Vancouver side that also fancies themselves as Western Conference frontrunners. It got overshadowed by LAFC getting Son Heung-Min, but Vancouver's addition of Thomas Müller was the splashiest move they've ever made. I'll be interested to see if the longtime Bayern Munich superstar is more adapted to the league and club by the time this match rolls around, and how much his arrival actually does for their ceiling.