SEATTLE — At some point, the losing has to stop. In a league like MLS where parity is literally built into the rules, it’s a virtual inevitability that no matter how badly a team is playing, it will eventually run into an opponent who is having an even worse day.
On paper, it seemed like a pretty solid bet that the Seattle Sounders were lined up against such an opponent on Wednesday. Austin FC came into the match sitting 14th in the 15-team Western Conference table. Over their previous eight league games, they had gone just 1–6–1, with that only win having come several weeks ago against the Sounders at Q2 Stadium. They were winless in 11 road matches across all competitions, managing to claim just three points.
This was also their sixth match in 19 days, with three more scheduled over the next 10 days. Austin FC manager Davy Arnaud swapped out all but one starter from their previous game against FC Dallas, which included a debut MLS start for goalkeeper Damian Las.
Somehow, the Sounders still managed to lose their eighth straight league game, three more than they had ever lost before. It was also their fourth straight loss at home in league play, also a club record. By the time they take the field against FC Cincinnati on Saturday, it will have been more than 100 days since they even claimed a point in league play.
These are all rarefied depths of suck, mostly reserved for some of the worst teams in league history.
“I just think every loss is just more painful,” Sounders forward Danny Musovski said in the postgame locker room, which had almost completely emptied by the time reporters were allowed in. “It keeps compounding on top of each other. It’s tough, and we’re trying to get out of it.”
The particularly frustrating and depressing part about this stretch of pain is that it’s hard to argue the Sounders have deserved much better. The eight losses have come mostly against bad teams. LAFC was the only team in that stretch who was even in a playoff spot, and they were on a three-game losing streak when they faced the Sounders.
This was a stretch of games in which even a depleted Sounders team should have been able to grind out some results. Instead, they’ve been outscored 18–4 and have only even held the lead in one game, when they scored first against the Portland Timbers on the road. Make no mistake, the Sounders have “deserved” virtually every bit of this pointless stretch.
Facing Austin FC at home, they at least snapped a seven-game streak in which they had an xG disadvantage. Snyder Brunell's inclusion at halftime seemed to provide a genuine spark. Through the first 20 minutes or so of the second half, the Sounders actually looked like a dangerous team. But it ultimately failed to materialize into anything of actual consequence.
“There are no positives here,” a decidedly downcast Brian Schmetzer said. “You are going to go and say, Stuart Hawkins’ first professional goal for the first team, and you can say that. You can say we had higher expected goals than our opponent, more shots, possession; we’re just looking at all those stats right now. I don’t care.
“It’s super frustrating that we couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net and score the first goal. Because I think if we score the first goal, I think the outcome of the game is completely changed.”
Throughout this freefall, Schmetzer has tried to give off a sense that he felt a turnaround was right around the corner. He continued to credit the players for not giving up, for playing hard. But the losses are clearly starting to wear on him, especially this one.
Schmetzer has been asked repeatedly about possible reinforcements, mostly toeing the company line that he was hopeful they were on their way but allowing room for the possibility that they might not arrive. Finally, he broke down a bit.
“I know they’re working on some things,” he said. “Hopefully, some of these things will materialize. But it’s not from a lack of us discussing possible outcomes.
“I get it, people want new things and they want new signings. I understand all that. And I’ll go on record as saying, yeah, we need some fresh blood here. It’s obvious. But don’t think for a second that we haven’t talked about it.”
Unfortunately, the Sounders may now be at a point where one or two signings might not be able to salvage the season. For too long, they’ve been building their roster with players who are almost exclusively from their developmental pipeline. They’ve done a fine job treading water, but the injuries have piled so high that it’s increasingly difficult to keep their heads above water. More than anything, they need to get some of their injured starters back and to stay healthy.
Any new signings should probably be seen as helping to build the future foundations, and to send a message to the fans that the front office isn’t actually asleep at the wheel.
