SEATTLE – The Seattle Sounders lost 2–1 against 14th-place Austin FC on Wednesday night. A 90th-minute goal from Stuart Hawkins breathed some life into stoppage time, but it wasn’t enough to overcome goals in the 66th and 87th minutes from Facundo Torres and Guilherme Biro for Austin.
The first half was as dull as a half can get. The one moment of any real emotion was a lowlight for the Sounders when Jackson Ragen went down following a challenge in Seattle’s box. He could be seen holding his knee and a stretcher crew came onto the field, but he was able to return to the field and keep playing although he eventually had to leave the game in the second half. Both sides had chances during the opening 45 minutes, but neither team really threatened while Austin dominated possession with 64% of the ball despite Seattle seemingly attempting to play their preferred possession style.
Coming out of halftime the Sounders made one change, dropping Sebastian Gomez for Snyder Brunell and they looked much better as they both held the ball better and were consistently threatening in the first 15 minutes or so. With Brunell in midfield Peter Kingston dropped to right back and Kalani Kossa-Rienzi pushed up to the wing and that change seemed to allow for more dynamic play. Seattle created 4 decent scoring chances between the 46th and 61st minute, but couldn’t find the necessary finish and were punished by Austin for it.
Facundo Torres made a central run with Brunell trailing several yards behind him but never close enough to challenge, so when Zan Kolmanic played a cross to him he was easily able to hit it first time beyond the reach of Andrew Thomas to make it 1-0.
Seattle had chances for a response following the opener, but again weren’t able to provide the quality of decision or finish required. Then in the 87th minute Paul Rothrock got caught trying to do too much as he attempted to dribble out of pressure to clear the area following a corner, and as he tried to round one player he dribbled into another and turned the ball over. Immediately, Torres sent in a cross to the back post, where Biro finished with a flying volley, beating Thomas at the post to make it 2–0 and secure the visitors’ victory.
Hawkins scored a consolation goal for the Sounders in the 90th minute, fighting off a defender to head home a free kick from Albert Rusnák that gave his side a chance for a point going into stoppage time. Seattle tried to capitalize on that moment, but found themselves wanting once again as they suffered their 8th consecutive league loss and their 4th consecutive home loss.
Lineups
A handful of changes from the lineup against Vancouver, most notably with Sebastian Gomez starting at right wing in place of the injured Jesús Ferreira. Alex Roldan moves up a line to start alongside Peter Kingston in midfield as Snyder Brunell starts on the bench, and Kim Kee-hee starts at centerback next to Jackson Ragen in Roldan’s place.
Tonight's Delta Starting XI ✨ 📰: sndrs.com/jsi5y2c6 | #SEAvATX
— Sounders FC (@soundersfc.com) August 19, 2026 at 5:40 PM
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Key moments
8' - Almost. A loose touch from goalkeeper Damian Las on a back pass nearly gifts Seattle an early lead from an own goal, but he’s able to save it and clear his area.
16’ - Float. Rothrock gets into a dangerous spot on the left side of the box, but hits a cross that soars over everyone in the area and out where Kossa-Rienzi collects.
18’ - High. Musovski rises up and connects with a free kick from Rusnák, but his header goes over the bar.
27’ - Shot. Kingston receives the ball at the edge of the box and takes a touch to set up his own shot, but he opts for power and sends the ball over the goal.
37’ - Scary. Play is stopped as Ragen goes down injured and is holding his left knee, but he is able to walk off the field and eventually re-enters the game.
45’ - Post! Thomas dives across the face of goal to keep out a shot from the top of the box that goes off the post before being cleared away.
HT - Sub. Seattle brings on Snyder Brunell, replacing Sebastian Gomez.
50’ - Chance. Seattle gets into the final third, but when the ball reaches Rothrock in the area his shot is easily handled.
55’ - Shot. Rothrock receives the ball centrally and drives towards goal before firing from 20 yards out but Las easily dives to his right to catch it.
57’ - Blocked. Rusnák receives the ball in a bit of space at the top of the box following some nice attacking work, but his eventual shot is blocked out for a throw.
59’ - Sub. Guilherme Biro replaces CJ Fodrey for Austin.
61’ - Shot. Musovski runs onto a dangerous ball and hits a shot that Las is just able to get a hand on to keep it out.
66’ - Goal, Austin. Facundo Torres puts Austin on the board as Seattle gets split open to set up a cross from Zan Komanic and no one tracks Torres’s run. 1-0, Austin
69’ - Sub. Stuart Hawkins replaces Jackson Ragen for Seattle.
71’ - Skied. A corner from Rusnák finds Brunell on the far side, but his shot is smashed into the crowd.
71’ - Subs. Austin takes off Jayden Nelson and Przemyslaw Placheta, replacing them with Mikkel Desler and Ervin Torres.
76’ - Chance. Kossa-Rienzi receives the ball in a dangerous spot and turns to shoot, but puts his effort just wide of goal.
76’ - Sub. Osaze De Rosario replaces Peter Kingson for Seattle.
78’ - Chance. A cross from the right side makes its way through the box to Rothrock, but as he turns and finds the ball at his feet his shot is blocked for a corner.
79’ - Subs. Austin replies Ilie Sanchez and Zan Komanic with Besard Sabovic and Mateja Djordjevic.
85’ - Chance. Rusnák receives an excellent layoff from Kossa-Rienzi, but can’t beat Las with his shot.
87’ - Goal, Austin. Seattle fail to clear the area following a corner and Biro provides a fantastic finish at the far post to put away a cross from Vazquez. 2-0, Austin
88’ - Sub. Rafael Jauregui replaces Nouhou for Seattle.
90’ - Goal! Stuart Hawkins pulls one back for the Sounders, heading home a free kick from Rusnák to shrink the gap. 2-1, Austin
Stu gets us back within one with his first MLS goal 👏
— Sounders FC (@soundersfc.com) August 19, 2026 at 8:32 PM
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90’+4 - Chance. Musovski pulls out an acrobatic attempt, but it’s sent wide for a corner.
90’+5 - Stop! Thomas comes up with an impressive stop to keep Austin from adding a third on a breakaway.
Quick thoughts
The wrong kind of history: The losing streaks continue. For the first time the Sounders have lost 4 consecutive league games at home, and 8 total league games in a row. They’re currently in 11th, 3 points out of the playoff spots but with little to suggest they’re likely to climb back up the table without some serious changes one way or another. There were positives to be found in this game, but amidst so many negatives it hardly seems worth doing the math to see how that particular equation balanced out. With 15 games left on the schedule and a road trip to face an FC Cincinnati side whose attack is white hot, it’s increasingly difficult to see any of those streaks ending soon, while the chances of their second-ever season ending before the playoffs start continue to rise.
Desperate times: For the first time in what feels like forever, the Sounders finished a game without adding another player to the injured list. Jackson Ragen came off with what proved to be a hyper-extended knee, but it’s not expected to be a serious issue. Some young players have shown promise and Hassani Dotson, Jordan Morris, and Cristian Roldan should all be returning to the field before too long, but the situation has still reached the point that Brian Schmetzer was calling for reinforcements in his post-game availability. For all of his belief in his players, Schmetzer can see what any of us can see: something has to change for the Sounders to live up to their own standards and expectations.
Things change, things stay the same: Schmetzer talked a lot after the game about 'trying things’ in terms of shape, formation, personnel. They tried a sort of 4–4-2 diamond midfield to start this game, they moved into a more flat 4–4-2 late in the game. Two things have remained true regardless of the formation: the Sounders have tried to control the game with possession, and for large chunks they’ve failed to do that. They did a better job of it in the second half, and even did a decent job of using that possession to create chances, but the first half was emblematic of the team’s ongoing issues. They played frantically rather than playing with urgency, rushing passes, trying to do too much, and failing to create a rhythm or consistent danger as a result. Even though they did better in the second half, that tendency to try to do too much was the source of Austin’s winner. Even as the situation changed within the game, the outcome remained the same.
Notable quote
Brian Schmetzer on what they can take away from this game: “nothing. You’re searching for a lot of positives, but the reality is it’s another loss. The reality is it’s 8 in a row, 4 in a row at home ... there’s no positives here."
Player spotlight
There’s not much to spotlight in this one, but Stuart Hawkins deserves a moment for his well-taken goal and some decent play as he stepped in for Jackson Ragen.
