There is a fine line between stability and stagnation, and the Seattle Sounders have parked their bus squarely on top of it. Last Saturday evening at Lumen Field was supposed to be the palate cleanser, an opportunity to punish an Eastern Conference visitor, flush the taste of squandered leads, and put three points in the bank. Instead, it was 90 minutes of frustrating soccer against Michael Bradley’s New York Red Bulls. The visitors’ game plan consisted of manic pressing, tactical hacking, and relying on former USMNT keeper Ethan Horvath to play like prime Lev Yashin. Seattle obliged by creating 21 shots, hitting the woodwork twice, missing two sitters, and stumbling away after a 0-0 draw.
A single road point in Cincinnati was a respectable grind. Letting Chicago walk out of Lumen with a 2-2 tie was irritating carelessness. But this? A third consecutive stalemate — and a second time dropping points at home — stretches Seattle’s league winless streak to 11 matches (0-8-3) dating back to mid-May. The Sounders are in 13th place in the Western Conference with 27 points. When your evening features 21 shots, nine corner kicks, an ankle sprain to your starting right back, a minutes restriction pulling your primary creative winger at halftime, and Paul Arriola clattering an 18-yard missile off the crossbar in the 94th minute, you aren’t unlucky. Your possession lacks an end result, to the point of queasiness.
One Point Banked: Andrew Thomas picked up his sixth clean sheet of the season with four clutch stops, Stuart Hawkins grew up another two inches in central defense next to Alex Roldan with Jackson Ragen injured, and Seattle held off New York’s late transition counters.
Two Points Dropped: Generating 21 shots at home, six on target, against an opponent missing its defensive core must yield at least one goal. Horvath was spectacular, but Seattle’s finishing inside the box was somewhere between hesitant and allergic. The substitution cadence was late, conservative, and treated a 0-0 home fixture like a tense second-leg aggregate battle.
Not Good Enough: Three consecutive draws against beatable opposition while stuck in 13th place in the West looks like a lack of urgency. The “we played well enough to win” mantra must be replaced with actual three-point victories.
Goalkeeper
Andrew Thomas — 7 | Community — 7.3 (MOTM)
Thomas was called upon to make four saves, and each stop carried existential weight. He handled a routine Cade Cowell effort in the 43rd minute, smothered an 18-yard look from Julian Hall right after the restart, and then made the save of the match in the 74th minute by sticking out a trailing boot to deny Hall from point-blank range at the six-yard box. He put the ribbon on his sixth shutout of the season by diving across his line in stoppage time to parry an 8-yard half-volley from Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.
One Point Banked: Four saves, two of them genuine ten-bell alarms, securing a clean sheet when the outfield players were incapable of finding the net.
Two Points Dropped: His distribution under New York’s relentless forward press remains an adventure, connecting on just 68 percent of his long balls and inviting secondary waves of pressure.
Not Good Enough: When your goalkeeper is the primary reason you didn’t drop all three points at home to an Eastern Conference bubble team, the outfielders should be buying his dinner until Thanksgiving.
Defense
Nouhou — 6 | Community — 6.8
This was “helpful Nouhou” for about 75 minutes, followed by a handful of chaotic excursions that kept everyone on the edge of cardiac arrest. Defensively, he was an absolute wall, eliminating New York’s right flank and limiting Cowell to a single speculative pop. In the second half, Nouhou repeatedly overlapped with Paul Rothrock, creating Seattle’s most viable attacking channel and whipping in three dangerous balls that deserved better aerial anticipation. Twice his central runs and distribution nearly created goals, as suddenly Nouhou was the nexus of Seattle’s resurgent attack.
One Point Banked: Locked down his flank with six duels won, four clearances, and zero successful dribbles allowed against Cowell and Cameron Harper.
Two Points Dropped: As Seattle pushed numbers forward late, Nouhou abandoned his post twice on ill-fated dribbling romps, requiring Alex Roldan to slide wide and clean up transition danger.
Not Good Enough: You love the 1-v-1 defensive dominance, but against a bunkered low block, a left back who refuses to pull the trigger from the edge of the box lets the opposition pack the six-yard box.
Stuart Hawkins — 6 | Community — 6.5
Drafted into the starting lineup with Jackson Ragen out, the teenager held his own in a physical street fight. Matched up against New York’s 18-year-old phenom Julian Hall, Hawkins gave up a couple of early turns but quickly adjusted his spacing. He won 5/7 ground duels, recorded five clearances, and avoided any catastrophic mental lapses. His passing was clean and risk-averse (91 percent), though he rarely looked to bypass New York’s midfield shield.
One Point Banked: Showed impressive emotional bounce-back, staying disciplined inside his own 18 and preventing Hall from turning inside on his favored right foot.
Two Points Dropped: Played the percentages to a fault; with New York dropping into a 5-3-2 in the second half, Hawkins needed to step into the midfield void and hit diagonal balls instead of recycling laterally.
Not Good Enough: Solid, mistake-free defending is a great foundation, but replacing Ragen’s line-breaking vision with safe backline possession slowed Seattle’s build-up to a crawl.
Alex Roldan — 6 | Community — 6.5
Alex was once again asked to play the veteran center back role alongside Hawkins, and he performed like he’s played the position for a decade. He led Seattle with 88 touches, completed 92 percent of his passes, and was the primary architect of Seattle’s ability to play through New York’s rabid first-phase pressing traps. When Kalani Kossa-Rienzi went down in the 36th minute and Snyder Brunell entered, Alex subtly slid wider to provide defensive insurance down the right channel.
One Point Banked: Calm, veteran distribution out of the back that broke New York’s initial press and set up Seattle’s transition sequences. Tallied four interceptions and three recoveries.
Two Points Dropped: Got caught ball-watching in the 74th minute, allowing Julian Hall to sneak behind his blind spot for New York’s best chance of the night.
Not Good Enough: A reliable shift that preserves a point, but another match where moving Alex centrally deprives Seattle of their best crosser from the right back spot.
Kalani Kossa-Rienzi — 5 | Community — 5.7 (off 37’ for Brunell)
Kalani was handed the start at right back and looked sharp early, combining neatly with Jordan Morris to stress Matthew Dos Santos down the flank. He delivered a teasing low cross in the 14th minute that caused chaos in the six-yard box. However, disaster struck in the 34th minute when he rolled his right ankle awkwardly on the turf while contesting a loose ball. He attempted to run it off, but the joint swelled up immediately, forcing him off in visible pain before the break.
One Point Banked: Brought early vertical tempo and defensive assertiveness, winning three early tackles and keeping Jorge Ruvalcaba pinned deep.
Two Points Dropped: His premature exit burned Seattle’s first substitution window and scrambled Brian Schmetzer’s tactical setup before halftime.
Not Good Enough: The injury list is starting to look like a Civil War field hospital, and losing KKR just as he was carving out consistent minutes is miserable luck.
Defensive Midfield
Peter Kingston — 5 | Community — 5.7
Kingston got the start in the double pivot next to Cristian Roldan and brought his customary high-motor tackling and physical bite. He matched the aggression of New York’s teenage engine Adri Mehmeti, breaking up three transition counters and tallying four tackles. The issue remains what happens when the ball is at his feet: against New York’s frenetic counter-press, Kingston looked rushed, coughing up three giveaways in the defensive third and completing just 74 percent of his passes.
One Point Banked: Provided the physical ballast required to survive a Red Bull fixture, screening the back four and preventing central penetration for an hour.
Two Points Dropped: Wasted two brilliant transition openings in the second half by telegraphing his forward passes directly into the shins of Ronald Donkor.
Not Good Enough: High-energy disruption is great, but starting central midfielders in MLS must be able to complete basic five-yard progressive passes under pressure.
Cristian Roldan — 7 (MOTM) | Community — 6.8 (off 77’ for Dotson)
Cristian was again the beating heart of everything good Seattle produced, which makes the final scoreline all the more maddening. He covered endless miles, popping up on the right touchline to cover for KKR’s absence, dropping between the center backs to initiate play, and winning 9/13 duels. He completed 88 percent of his passes and generated four passes into the penalty area. By the 75th minute, his legs were visibly gone after only recently returning to game fitness, forcing his withdrawal.
One Point Banked: A relentless two-way masterclass. He single-handedly snuffed out New York’s counter-attack in the 58th minute with a 40-yard recovery sprint and sliding takeaway.
Two Points Dropped: Exhaustion caught up to him late, leading to a couple of tired passing turnovers before he was finally subbed off with the midfield tank reading empty.
Not Good Enough: If Cristian doesn’t score, assist, and simultaneously play right back and holding midfielder, this team looks completely incapable of securing a victory.
Attacking Midfield
Paul Rothrock — 5 | Community — 5.8 (off 84’ for Arriola)
Rothrock spent 84 minutes engaging in a bare-knuckle brawl with New York right back Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty. He tested Horvath with a driven 15-yard effort in the 57th minute, drew a yellow card on Julián Bazán, and worked himself into a lather tracking back defensively. But as the match wore on, the “xDawg” hustle couldn’t mask the lack of technical refinement. He picked up a yellow card in the 81st minute for a cynical pullback and saw multiple crosses float harmlessly out of play.
One Point Banked: Never stopped harassing New York’s backline, winning four fouls in dangerous positions and forcing Horvath into a sharp, low save.
Two Points Dropped: Lacked composure in the final third, blowing a 3-v-2 counter in the 68th minute by holding the ball two seconds too long before firing a pass behind Dejan Joveljić. Wasn’t able to find Morris open on the back post before missing the biggest chance of the match when he failed to score his own back post finish.
Not Good Enough: The effort is terrific, but hustle without clinical execution against an Eastern Conference cellar-dweller results in zeroes on the scoreboard. He had the kind of chance he usually puts away…and didn’t.
Albert Rusnák — 6 | Community — 6.3
Rusnák will look at the tape and wonder what mirror he broke this week. He had two golden opportunities to win the match outright: first in the 19th minute, when Horvath pulled off a spectacular kick save on his 7-yard poke, and again in the 65th minute, when his curling 19-yard free kick was clawed out of the top corner by Horvath’s fingertips. Outside of those two moments of genuine quality, however, Albert drifted through large stretches of the second half, completing safe passes without imposing his will on the match.
One Point Banked: Generated some of Seattle’s cleanest looks on goal and served five corner kicks right onto the penalty spot.
Two Points Dropped: Disappeared for a 20-minute spell between the 25th and 45th minutes when Seattle desperately needed their playmaker to demand the ball and dictate tempo.
Not Good Enough: A player of his skill level, at home, against an average team, has to find a way to finish one of those chances. “Almost” doesn’t count.
Jordan Morris — 6 | Community — 6.0 (off 46’ for Gomez)
Morris started on the wing and was Seattle’s most dangerous attacker during the opening 45 minutes. In the 42nd minute, he orchestrated a brilliant solo run down the left touchline, cut inside two defenders, and unleashed a dipping 10-yard strike that Horvath barely tipped over the crossbar. Unfortunately, that was the last we saw of him: operating on a strict minutes restriction following recent muscle tightness, Morris was replaced by Sebastian Gomez at the half.
One Point Banked: Showcased elite pace and vertical directness, nearly scoring a wonder goal before the break and forcing New York’s defense into emergency recovery mode. Constantly a threat.
Two Points Dropped: His halftime departure neutered Seattle’s attacking dynamism, allowing Red Bull’s fullbacks to push ten yards higher in the second half.
Not Good Enough: Having a lethal offensive weapon stuck on a 45-minute leash while chasing a must-win home fixture is a brutal reality. At least he wasn’t hurt.
Striker
Dejan Joveljić — 6 | Community — 6.5
Fresh off his debut brace against Chicago, Joveljić received a rude awakening courtesy of Justin Che and Julián Bazán, who took turns using him as a punching bag for 90 minutes. Dejan registered 26 touches and fought hard for loose scraps, but he was starved of clean central service. He nearly had the winner in the 70th minute when he met a cross with a sharp, downward header toward the bottom right corner, only for Horvath to rob him with an absurd diving save.
One Point Banked: Generated Seattle’s best open-play striker chance of the night with a cultured header that required a world-class save to deny. Helped link up others as well.
Two Points Dropped: Struggled to hold up the ball against New York’s physical center backs, winning only 3/10 contested aerial duels. Not his fault, but looked to have a diving header in the first half, only to have a teammate volley the ball wide prior.
Not Good Enough: Joveljić was brought here to be the ruthless finisher, but when the midfield service dried up, he was too easily marginalized into an isolated spectator.
Substitutes
Snyder Brunell — 6 | Community — 5.8 (on 37’ for Kossa-Rienzi)
Pressed into early action due to Kalani’s ankle sprain, Brunell slid into midfield while Seattle restructured their right flank. The 19-year-old was immediately aggressive: in the 53rd minute, he unleashed a 20-yard screamer that beat Horvath and rattled off the right post. In the 70th minute, he pounced on the rebound of Joveljić’s saved header and hammered a point-blank shot that Horvath somehow stopped with his chest.
One Point Banked: Brought fearless attacking intent off the bench, rattling the woodwork and forcing a phenomenal double-save.
Two Points Dropped: His aggressive positioning left acres of space behind him on the right side, which Julian Hall repeatedly probed on transition counters.
Not Good Enough: The kid has ice in his veins and nearly won the match twice, but tactical discipline in tracking back remains a work in progress. Ice is not so good on its own; he needs to add the beverage.
Sebastian Gomez — 5 | Community — 5.8 (on 46’ for Morris)
Introduced at the half for Morris, Gomez looked thoroughly overwhelmed by the intensity of New York’s high press. He registered just 16 touches in 45 minutes, lost four of five ground duels, and failed to provide any vertical threat down the flank. His presence allowed New York’s backline to squeeze high up the pitch, effectively suffocating Seattle’s build-up play for the first twenty minutes of the second half.
One Point Banked: Put in honest defensive running to help shield the right flank as New York brought on fresh attacking legs.
Two Points Dropped: Completely toothless in possession. Committed two unforced giveaways and never looked to take on his defender 1-v-1.
Not Good Enough: Replacing Jordan Morris is an impossible task, but giving the team zero attacking bite or progressive passing in a 45-minute shift is unacceptable.
Hassani Dotson — 5 | Community — 5.3 (on 77’ for C. Roldan)
Dotson entered with thirteen minutes remaining to replace a gassed Cristian Roldan. He did his standard shift: recycled possession with 8/9 passes completed, committed one tactical foul to break up a transition, and functioned as a human seatbelt to preserve the shutout. He provided a single excellent forward push during a stretch where Seattle had New York pinned inside their defensive third.
One Point Banked: Solid, no-nonsense defensive presence that prevented New York from snatching a late smash-and-grab road winner.
Two Points Dropped: Generally unable to look forward, repeatedly checking back and playing safe horizontal balls while the home crowd screamed for vertical urgency.
Not Good Enough: Bringing on Dotson in the 77th minute felt like playing for a point against a team sitting below you in the standings, but Seattle had no better options.
Paul Arriola — 5 | Community — 5.6 (on 84’ for Rothrock)
Making his first appearance since August 1 after a stubborn quad injury, Arriola packed more drama into ten minutes than most guys managed in ninety. In the 94th minute, with the stadium holding its collective breath, Arriola collected a cleared ball at the top of the 18-yard box and unleashed a blistering half-volley that beat Horvath yet violently clanged off the crossbar.
One Point Banked: Instant injection of veteran electricity. Nearly blew the roof off Lumen Field with an inch-perfect strike in the dying seconds.
Two Points Dropped: The crossbar denied him the storybook comeback, leaving him to stare at the turf in disbelief along with all the rest of us.
Not Good Enough: Why did it take until the 84th minute to get him on the pitch? Even at 75 percent fitness, ten minutes of Arriola looked vastly more dangerous than anything Gomez offered all half. This battle for minutes is worth keeping an eye on.
Referee
Ricardo Fierro — 5 | Community — 5.1
Fierro got an ugly, physical assignment and managed to make it even uglier. He whistled 26 total fouls (15 against New York, 11 against Seattle) and completely lost control of the match’s physical tempo during the first half. He allowed Donkor and Che to chop down Seattle attackers in transition without punishment, only to finally brandish cards when tempers flared after the whistle. His refusal to play advantage in the 61st minute killed a promising Sounders counter dead in its tracks.
One Point Banked: Got the big calls right in the penalty areas, correctly waving away Julian Hall’s 82nd minute flop inside the 18.
Two Points Dropped: Allowed New York’s cynical, tactical fouling in the middle third to systematically butcher the rhythm of the game without early card deterrents.
Not Good Enough: A fussy, inconsistent whistle that directly rewarded New York’s anti-soccer road game plan.
Red Bull New York MOTM
Ethan Horvath was a name I hadn’t heard or thought about in quite some time. To be honest, before this match I probably couldn’t tell you what position he played. I can now. Dude just played the heck out of the goalkeeper spot, finishing the night with six saves (plenty of them bordering on spectacular) on the aforementioned 21 shots. He was saved by the woodwork on two occasions, including right at the end, but that shouldn’t take away from the shift he put in. Which save was his best? Take your pick. The point blank denial of Rusnák early on, the 1-v-1 with Morris, Rusnák’s free kick, the fingertip denial of Joveljić’s header, just fantastic work throughout.
Next Up
A brutal road trip down to Southern California to take on the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday. If the Sounders don’t find a way to put the ball in the back of the net there, the playoff conversation is officially over.
