RENTON — The mood around the Seattle Sounders trainings this week has been noticeably upbeat. The reasons are not particularly hard to understand.
On top of coming off a hard-earned road point against FC Cincinnati over the weekend — their first in league play in more than 100 days — the Sounders also completed the acquisition of Dejan Joveljić from Sporting KC and saw the full re-integration of a host of veterans into training.
It was all a breath of fresh air for a team around which the mood had turned quite sour.
"We got some life this week," Sounders midfielder Paul Rothrock said.
"It feels like the tide's turning a little bit.
"I think this is going to turn out to be a beautiful story. You can judge me on that at the end of the year, if that's true, but I really think this could be the time that could be a turning point. I really hope that's true, but I do believe that right now."
That might feel like a lot of positivity given the Sounders still haven’t won a league game since May 13, but it was undeniably a common theme this week.
For all the Sounders’ struggles, they are still only three points out of playoff position and eight points away from gaining home-field advantage in the first round, with 14 games left to play and a game in hand on virtually every team they’re chasing.
But all of that only matters if they can start putting wins together.
"The thing we’re eyeing is the MLS Cup, and we have plenty of quality to make that the outcome of the end of the season," Sounders goalkeeper Andrew Thomas said. "It doesn't matter how you go in the middle of the year; it’s all about how you finish.
"I know that as this team catches some momentum, guys get back, and we start playing the kind of soccer that is expected of us. Towards the end of the year, no one's going to want to play us, and no one's going to want to play us in the playoffs too."
Veterans returning
Cristian Roldan, Jordan Morris and Hassani Dotson have been cleared to participate in Saturday's game, while Paul Arriola will likely be available next week against the New York Red Bulls.
Ragen injury update
Jackson Ragen will be out at least three more weeks after an MRI revealed that he has a "little crack" in his knee, apparently in a non-weight-bearing bone. Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said it was similar to an injury he suffered in USMNT training camp a couple of years ago. Schmetzer said the exact timeline for Ragen's return will be somewhat determined by pain tolerance, but that he can start jogging again in about three weeks.
Ragen suffered the injury against Austin FC on Aug. 19, initially going down in the first half before returning. He was eventually pulled in the 69th minute.
When asked about it after the game, Schmetzer virtually dismissed concerns of a lengthy absence.
"When I called him a tough kid after that game, we didn’t know the extent of it until they did an MRI," Schmetzer said on Friday. "It was hurting him, but he wanted to play. That's on us. That's on me. You know, whatever. But the kid wanted to play. It’s not a long-term thing."
Still looking to add
The Sounders remain in the market for at least a winger ahead of the summer transfer window closing on Sept. 2.
"I think we need speed on the wings; that's always handy," Schmetzer said. "We’re going to need to start thinking about an immediate this-year plan and then a one-year plan, three-year plan, because some of our guys are getting a little older and it’s just natural course of business. Craig's doing a good job trying to figure it out."
