The Seattle Sounders’ eight-match losing streak left the team in uncharted waters.
Despite an unparalleled level of sustained success since 2009, the Rave Green looked as if they might miss the postseason for just the second time in club history.
Still, the team remained determined to turn around their season and after a month of channeling that resolute spirit, they flipped the script, rattling off an eight-match unbeaten run including three consecutive home wins.
“I feel like now we're just finally hitting stride, which is perfect timing,” said midfielder Snyder Brunell. “The team is really, really motivated, the vibes are high, so everything's good.”
Currently seventh place in the Western Conference, the team will need to keep this momentum going as they look ahead to their final seven matches of the season, beginning with a difficult road stretch against New England Revolution on Saturday before facing FC Dallas on Oct. 14.
“These are two pretty good teams,” said midfielder Cristian Roldan. “New England plays very interestingly, and we're going to have to get a lot out of ourselves to get a result there, and so I really anticipate our team being up for that challenge.”
The upcoming opponents have had stellar seasons thus far, with New England ranking second in the East and FC Dallas third in the West. It will be the Sounders’ biggest test yet as the team gears up to face the likes of top attackers Carles Gil (New England) and FC Dallas’ Petar Musa. Gil currently leads his team in goals (12) and assists (9) while Musa is three goals away from leading MLS in the race for the Golden Boot with 18.
“Marko [Mitrović’s] done a good job. Gil is like fine wine; he keeps getting better. Got some exciting young players, and then you got to go to a conference foe like Dallas,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “It's not going to be an easy two games.”
The Sounders have always been a solid road team, only losing five of their last 13 away matches in the 2026 regular season. In their latest road fixtures, they collected three hard fought draws against Colorado, LA Galaxy and FC Cincinnati. Their mentality is consistently strong when they enter enemy territory, and these upcoming fixtures are no different as they set their sights on continuing to climb the table.
“They're not going to rest on their laurels,” said Schmetzer. They understand the predicament that we're in, the place in the standings, the tight West race. There's not going to be any complacency.”
