What results help the Sounders the most?

The Sounders are almost certainly competing for a playoff spot between 7th and missing out entirely. There's not a lot of hope for a home playoff game in that range, which means there's a very low chance of making a meaningful run that rescues our feelings about a season that started hot and then fizzled out.

But, there are chances of breaking the top four in the West. If things can go as right as the summer went wrong, meaningful soccer can last into the meteorological winter.

How to root in the East

Nashville should win everything.

Teams in the playoff positions must draw each other when facing each other.

When bad Eastern teams face playoff teams, you want them to win.

How to root in the West

These matches need to be draws

Austin v. San Diego
Dallas v. LAFC
Galaxy v. Colorado
San Jose v. Portland

Those last two, plus tonight's Sounders match, will go a long way toward defining which Western Conference teams make the second season.

Here you want wins by

Sporting KC in a massive upset over Houston
New England over Real Salt Lake (as you should hope every Eastern side wins against the West)

This stack of results, combined with a Sounders team that behaves as they have since signing Deki (even while he's not here) would push Schmetzer's side up to 8th in the West and within striking distance 7th. And it would move their Shield standing (only important for a 2016 echo that involves hosting an MLS Cup) from 20th to 15th, and put them with striking distance of 12th.

It's a big mountain.

It's a mountain the org made bigger by digging itself a ditch during the climb.

There's reason to hope. Most of that is because the league's middle is soft like Thor on a couch mourning the disasters he brought upon his people.

Every scoreboard matters when a team doesn't control its destiny. The Sounders need to ensure that they make the run-in a fun-in.

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Catching up on Sounder at Heart

Here's what you missed on the site this week.

Sounders

Next match: This evening hosting Minnesota United at 5:30 pm PT on Apple TV.
Sounders are now more likely to make the playoffs than miss them. They are currently in 10th, with 8th being available today. Seattle has the 6th best record in the West over the past six matches, mostly powered by a defense that is number 4 during that stretch.

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Reign

Next match: Friday, October 2 hosting North Carolina Courage at 7 pm PT on NWSL+.
Reign are at 61% to make the playoffs, though they have a reasonable path to as high as 4th. Friday’s game will go a long way toward determining how high they finish.

Defiance

Next match: Sunday, October 11 at San Jose Earthquakes II at 5 pm PT on YouTube and OneFootball.
The winner faces Austin FC II the Sunday after that match.

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