SEATTLE – The Seattle Sounders continued their winless run in the league with a 2-2 draw against the Chicago Fire at Lumen Field on Saturday afternoon. Seattle got a debut brace from their new DP No. 9, but gave up a pair of leads and ended up settling for a draw that both extended their run without a win in the league to 10 games while also starting a two-game undefeated streak. Dejan Joveljić scored in the 12th and 48th minutes – the fastest a Sounders player has reached 2 goals in the MLS era – while Maren Haile-Selassie and Robert Lewandowski scored for Chicago in the 38th and 82nd minutes.
The game couldn’t have started much better for the Sounders, who had a pair of decent chances in the 3rd and 6th minutes before Joveljic got them on the board. First he got a touch with his knee to keep the play alive with the Sounders in possession in Chicago’s end, then after Kalani Kossa-Rienzi drove towards the goal and played the ball out wide to Sebastian Gomez on the right, Joveljic made a great run to receive the ball from Gomez for a tidy finish to open his account.
Seattle kept playing well during the opening phases of the game, but control started to slip as they approached the half-hour mark and the Fire started putting pressure on Andrew Thomas’s goal. Thomas made a particular standout save in the 27th minute on a Dje D’Avilla shot that was deflected on its way through, but the Sounders goalkeeper was able to get a touch to pop the ball into the air and then caught it from the ground. Unfortunately the Sounders continued to invite pressure, repeatedly struggling to get the ball out of their area or break up Chicago’s rhythm, and in the 38th minute Haile-Selassie received a clever pass from Lewandowski and nailed a shot from just inside the top of the box into the bottom corner at the far post to equalize.
The Sounders were able to get into halftime still level, and just minutes out of the break Joveljic added his second of the day. This time he received a simple pass from Albert Rusnák at the top of the box, set himself up, then rifled a shot in off the underside of the crossbar to give the Sounders their second lead of the game in the 48th minute.
Seattle continued to push for more, bringing on a trio of now-healthy players capable of making an impact in Hassani Dotson, Jordan Morris and Cristian Roldan. They created chances, including a particularly good play in the 81st minute where Morris got out in the open field and played the ball wide to Rusnák, who set himself up for a good shot that Jack Elliott made an excellent play to block. Unfortunately the Fire immediately came down to the other end where Puso Dithejane put in a cross for Lewandowski, who found himself matched up against Kalani Kossa-Rienzi for an impressive header at the back post to equalize again in the 82nd.
Having twice held leads in the game with chances to extend their advantage, the Sounders found themselves hanging on for the draw in thr final minutes, with Thomas making a pair of saves to preserve the result. That effort was highlighted in the 5th minute of stoppage time when Jonathan Bamba got all of a shot from the top of the box headed for the top corner, but Thomas was able to dive across the face of goal and catch and hold on to the ball to deny Chicago a late winner.
Seattle’s next chance to break their drought comes next Saturday when they host the New York Red Bulls at 5:30 pm.
Lineups
True to his word, Brian Schmetzer gives Dejan Joveljic the start in his debut. Sebastian Gomez keeps his starting spot, joined by Albert Rusnák and Paul Rothrock in the attacking band. Snyder Brunell is once again joined by Alex Roldan in central midfield, while Stuart Hawkins is paired with Kim Kee-hee in the center of defense, flanked by Nouhou and Kalani Kossa-Riensi.
Our Delta Starting XI for #SEAvCHI 💥 READ ➡️ sndrs.com/q349ltp1
— Sounders FC (@soundersfc.com) August 29, 2026 at 12:41 PM
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Key moments
3' - Shot. Rusnák sends in a free kick that gets knocked back to the top of the box where Kossa-Rienzi tries to volley it but his shot goes high.
6’ - Chance. Roldan has a go from the top of the box after a touch to send it his way from Gomez, but Brady is able to catch the low shot at the post.
12’ - GOAL! Dream debut for Joveljic, who provides the finishing touch off of a low cross from Gomez to take the lead! 1-0 Sounders
12' DEKI WITH HIS FIRST SOUNDERS GOAL 🔥🔥🔥 SEA 1 | CHI 0 #SEAvCHI
— Sounders FC (@soundersfc.com) August 29, 2026 at 1:55 PM
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21’ - Chance. Rusnák sends a corner kick to the far side of the box where Roldan attempts a volley that goes wide.
24’ - Save. Chicago get out on the break and Zinckernagel lines up a shot, but Thomas is able to easily grab hold of it.
27’ - Save! Seattle attempt to clear the area but it falls to D’Avilla at the top of the box, who rips a low shot that’s deflected slightly. Thomas is able to get a touch to stop it and then catch the rebound.
WHAT A SAVE 💪
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37’ - Crossbar! Chicago have a great chance as Gutman sets up a golden opportunity for Zinckernagel, but his shot hits the post and bounces out.
38’ - Goal, Fire. Haile-Selassie equalizes for Chicago, hitting an excellent shot from near the top of the box into the far bottom corner. 1-1
41’ - Stop. Zinckernagel has another look, but Thomas once again is able to save the shot.
48’ - GOAL! Joveljic again! This time from the top of the box, after receiving a pass from Rusnák he laces it in off the underside of the bar! 2-1 Sounders
48' SOUNDERS GOOOOOAAAAAAAAL DEKI PUTS US BACK IN THE LEAD. SEA 2 | CHI 1 #SEAvCHI
— Sounders FC (@soundersfc.com) August 29, 2026 at 2:50 PM
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52’ - Save! Thomas makes a good stop, denying Haile-Selassie his brace as he punches the shot away for a corner.
57’ - Sub. Cristian Roldan enters the game, taking over for Snyder Brunell for Seattle.
63’ - Sub. Chicago takes off Robin Lod and replaces him with Puso Dithejane.
68’ - Block! Seattle struggles to handle a Chicago transition, but at the final moment Kim Kee-hee slides in with a big challenge to block a shot.
69’ - Subs. Hassani Dotson and Jordan Morris enter the game for Seattle, replacing Sebastian Gomez and Alex Roldan.
73’ - Subs. Anton Saletros and Jonathan Dean leave the game, replaced by Jonathan Bamba and Sergio Oregel for Chicago.
79’ - Tip. Bamba has a shot from the top of the box that Thomas pushes over the bar for a corner.
81’ - Chance. Morris gets played in down the right, drives at the back line and then lays it off for Rusnak who takes a touch to set up a shot that’s blocked.
82’ - Goal, Chicago. The Fire come right back down the other end of the field and Lewandowski finds himself matched up against Kossa-Rienzi at the back post for a header to equalize. 2-2
83’ - Chance. Kossa-Rienzi gives the ball away and the Fire have a great look at a third, but the shot is hit right at Thomas.
88’ - Sub. Philip Zinckernagel leaves the game as Leonardo Barroso enters for Chicago.
90’+5 - Save! Thomas flies to his lift to catch and hold onto a rocket of a shot from Bamba to preserve the draw.
Quick thoughts
The $6 million man: Dejan Joveljic didn’t wait long to show why he was worth the investment from the Sounders, to say nothing of the work to open up the DP spot to make room for him. 12 minutes into his debut and he’d already opened his account, but his quality showed in more than just his goals. Throughout the game he popped up all around the field with clean touches and simple connective passes to keep the attack flowing. It’s the kind of play that makes the whole team function better, even if his addition doesn’t completely solve all of their problems. It is notable, though, that this is only the second time in the MLS era that a Sounders striker has scored a brace in his debut after Fredy Montero in 2009.
Improvements on the injury front: Following the unfortunate news that Jackson Ragen’s injury will keep him out longer than initially expected, the Sounders got a bit of a boost in this game. Not only did they manage to go a game without adding any new injuries, the Sounders were also able to welcome back the trio of Hassani Dotson, Jordan Morris, and Cristian Roldan. All three will take time to get back to the best they have to offer, but it was reassuring to see Roldan making plays at the base of midfield that just aren’t part of any of Seattle’s other midfielders’ games. Morris made a few runs, and while he looked hesitant to push into his top gear on the first of those runs, he still looked comfortable opening it up with green space ahead of him and he made it through his 21 minutes plus stoppage without issue. The team still needs reinforcements, but just getting the guys they have back healthy certainly helps.
Goals, plural: For the first time since their 3-2 win against the San Jose Earthquakes on May 13, the Sounders scored multiple goals in a league game. It was the first time in a league game that the starting striker had scored a goal this season, and the first time a striker scored multiple goals in a game. Things have been dark, they’ve been rough, but it’s starting to look like the attack may be getting rolling in earnest for the first time this season.
Notable quote
Brian Schmetzer on the team’s struggle controlling the game: “It seems like we lost control of the game because of the way the 10-minute period was before giving up those goals. ... we’re defending, we’re defending, a player receives the ball and gives the ball away. ... we fall into that momentum trap where they start to feel confidence and we get fatigued."
Player spotlight
How could it be anyone but the debutant, Dejan Joveljic? A debut brace, only the second striker to do that for the Sounders in the MLS era, and the first DP to hit that mark.
