With the Leagues Cup now firmly in the rearview mirror, now seems as good a time as any to take stock of what we learned. Specifically, I think we have some answers to narratives that have been dogging the team throughout the year. Let's dig in:
Addition by inaction
Sounders GM Craig Waibel made a rather significant gamble during the summer transfer window, betting that it was better not to sign anyone now than to risk spending money on the wrong player. Given that the Sounders have gone 3-0-0 and outscored their opponents 10-2 in the three games since the window closed, it's hard to poke many holes in his logic.
Locker rooms are a delicate balance. As tempting as it is for those of us on the outside to see them as simple collections of talent and quantifiable characteristics on a spreadsheet, the reality is that they are an organic mess of egos, personalities and emotions. To the Sounders' credit, they seem to have a better understanding and appreciation of this than most. Adding a new player always has the potential to mess with that dynamic.
Time will tell just how good of a decision it was to not sign anyone, but that won't change that the Sounders have already shown themselves capable of winning a trophy without that imaginary player. It will look especially astute if they sign one of their preferred targets in the winter.
They’re a contender
Speaking of which, I think we can safely say that the Sounders title-contending bonafides are secure. Pick apart the path if you want, but the reality is the Sounders book-ended their run by fully dismantling one of the best teams in the entire Western Hemisphere and then outplaying one of the most talented teams in North America. The Sounders will not face teams who are appreciably better than either Cruz Azul or Inter Miami once they are in the playoffs. That alone should put them among the contenders.
What's even more encouraging is that there's a very real possibility that the Sounders will be an even more deep and talented squad once the playoffs roll around. Danny Musovski and Nouhou are now back from suspensions. Albert Rusnák should be fully back by the Sounders' next game and Jordan Morris shouldn't be too far behind him. There's even a possibility that Ryan Kent could be back in time for the playoffs, as could João Paulo. While I think I have a good idea of who Brian Schmetze would start in a must-win game, I am not as sure who's going to be left off the gameday roster.
Lumen Field is special
We haven't heard a ton about the Sounders' desire to move to Longacres for a few months. As far as I know, that's still the long-term plan. But this final was a pretty stark reminder of how much of an asset Lumen Field can be. While the presence of Leo Messi was obviously one of the big factors that helped the Sounders sell out the stadium in just three days, the truth is I'm not sure any other fanbase would have packed it like that in such a short period of time.
Along those lines, I don't think we can separate the Sounders' popularity from the fact that they have a high-quality stadium located in the middle of the city and connected to an embarrassing array of travel modes. Being accessible is simply part of the Sounders' brand at this point and I don't think we can easily separate them.
But I'm also convinced that Lumen Field is a big part of why the Sounders have such an amazing record in finals. They are now 5-0-0 in finals at Lumen Field in the MLS era, setting various kinds of attendance records in all five of those games. I don't think those two things are a coincidence.
By the way, the Sounders are now 13-1-5 with a +30 goal-difference at home against North American opponents this year. Filling Lumen Field on a weekly basis is still a bit of a challenge, but I remain convinced that performances like what we're seeing this year will help change that.
The future is bright
The Sounders still skew a bit on the older side when compared to other MLS teams, but the Leagues Cup run showcased how well their developmental pipeline is working. The starting lineup against Miami featured eight players who were developed by the Souners in one way or another, either through the draft, academy or Defiance. Of the 15 players who got onto the field, 11 are 27 or younger and no one was older than 33.
Among that group were a 20-year-old central midfielder, a 20-year-old left back, three attackers who were 24 or younger and a goalkeeper who is 27. Contrast that with Inter Miami, who has five players who were 36 or older and six who were 31 or older in their starting lineup.
If anything, this Leagues Cup run showed that the Sounders roster as constructed now is young enough to expect it to actually get better in the years to come.
This format was an improvement
No discussion of the Leagues Cup would be complete without at least some discussion about the tournament's format, which has changed with remarkable regularity even though it's only been contested four times.
I think we can comfortably say that this was the best one yet. First off, limiting MLS participation to 18 teams was a marked improvement over previous years where every team was forced to compete. I think shutting the league down for only one week helped, too, as it avoided long lay offs for teams who were eliminated early. Most importantly, we got a lot more interleague games, which is the whole attraction of this tournament in the first place.
Apparently this all resulted in more people than ever watching it on TV (even if the attendance numbers were pretty disappointing). We don't have the ratings on the final yet, but I suspect that will be at least comparable to MLS Cup for Spanish-language viewers, where it was available over the air.
For this tournament to be taken more seriously from a sporting perspective, though, some of these games absolutely have to be played in Mexico. I know one of the main reasons Liga MX wants these games is to expose their teams to American audiences, but here's my compromise solution: Keep the format the same but allow Liga MX teams to host knockout games when they are the higher-seeded team. Most likely, this would only impact a few matches, but it would certainly add some sporting merit and turn this into a more serious tournament.
