After failing to advance in Concacaf Champions Cup, the Seattle Sounders can focus solely on league play and playing almost entirely at home until the World Cup break. This should set them up well for a charge up the standings, which feels odd to say when they are 4-1-1, +4 in league play.
But the West is top-heavy and bottom-soft with few mediocre teams.
St. Louis City might be one of the few mediocre ones, despite being at the bottom of the standings. Since losing to the Sounders, they are 2-1-2, +1 in all competitions. That's a significant change from being horrible. Maybe their midweek Open Cup win over FC Tulsa (captained by former Sounder AB Cissoko) can motivate them – putting up a 4-0 is always good for the soul, but this may be a case of the all comps record lying. Tulsa is good (USL Champs finalists last year after finishing 3rd overall).
But they also aren't Vancouver Whitecaps and UANL Tigres good.
Seattle's record across all competitions is great, possibly the best depending on how you define greatness. Nashville is third overall and though their CCC record is a mediocre 1-0-3 with only two goals scored, they advanced in the tournament. Notably, their only win in CCC was at Azteca, the first time a MLS team has ever managed that.
Seattle sits at 7-2-1, +9. Nashville is 8-1-4, +12. Other teams to consider near the best in MLS as the CCC advances are LAFC who put up a big crooked number against Real España and edged Alajuelense for an 8-1-2, +20. The Whitecaps lead the Shield, but in CCC went 1-2-1 for an all comps of 8-3-1, +16.
There's reason to feel that the Sounders are among the best in the league, with a strong road and strong Concacaf Champions Cup records and a spring on the grass in Lumen Field.
All competitions aren't equal. All wins aren't equal. And sometimes a win feels like a loss. Sometimes a team can draw their way to tournament glory.
Sometimes a failure to advance can still show how good a team can be.
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Catching up on Sounder at Heart
Here's what you missed on the site this week.
Sounders
Next match: Saturday, April 18 vs St. Louis City at Lumen Field | 6:30 pm PT | Apple TV
Seattle: 6th place in the West with 13 points in 6 matches, +4
St. Louis: 14th place in the West with 6 points in 7 matches, -3
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Reign
Next match: Sunday, April 26 vs. Utah Royals FC at Lumen Field | 5 pm PT | Victory +
Seattle: 3rd with 10 points in 5 matches, +3
Utah: 7th with 7 points in 5 matches, +0
Defiance
Next match: Sunday, April 26 vs. LAFC II at Starfire | 8 pm PT | MLSNextPro.com, OneFootball
Defiance: 7th in the Pacific (last) with 3 points in 7 matches, -8
LAFCII: 6th in the Pacific with 7 points in 6 matches, --3
- Defiance lose to St. Louis on another late goal
- Defiance break goal scoring drought and lose to Whitecaps2
Looking back at the news
Everything else you need to know
- Save The Caps (Save the Caps) Save the Caps
- Designing for Pedestrians in Pioneer Square during the World Cup (Seattle dot gov)
- Behind the rebuilding of Memorial Stadium (Seattle Times)
- Sources: NWSL expected to vote on calendar shift this month (ESPN)
- NWSL has built an audience that fills NFL stadiums. Is it time to dream big on the final venue? (Yahoo Sports) The sports media columnist tradition of thinking a one-off event is a trend.
- NWSL Moves to Restrict Which Brands Players Can Wear on the Field (Front Office Sports)
- U.S. Soccer's Matt Crocker To Take Saudi Arabia Role Ahead of World Cup (Fox Sports)
- Are prediction markets illicit gambling? Washington state says yes (KUOW)
- Live Nation Verdict: Jury Says Concert Giant Is An Illegal Monopoly in Total Defeat (Billboard)
- FC St. Pauli awards Peace Prize to Wes Burdine of Black Hart (St. Pauli)
