8/31/2026
Even for newcomers to the sport, blown away and inspired by the FIFA World Cup, the tournament must now feel like a very long time ago. Many of those new soccer fans might have been hoping to keep the enjoyment going by transferring their allegiance to the Sounders. But it has been a tough time for Seattle’s team.
As one of Major League Soccer’s traditional powerhouses, the Seattle Sounders are always expected to compete and challenge for honors, but recent months have seen a definite downturn in results. Those new fans now learning how to choose a sportsbook might not necessarily be doing so in order to back the Sounders.
There is still a long way to go, of course, so there is no need to panic. With so many teams qualifying for the playoffs, Seattle should be in a good position to extend their playing time into the Fall. But just how far can the Sounders go this year?
Preseason Hopes
The MLS season ended in disappointment last year, with a round one exit at the hands of Minnesota, meaning that the Leagues Cup triumph could not be replicated. There was still a good feeling about the team going into the 2026 campaign, however, with most pundits predicting the Sounders to be dominant in the West.
With the vast majority of the roster remaining for the 2026 season, there seemed to be no concerns over the team picking up where it left off and leading the way. Having to play a chunk of games away from home at the beginning because of renovations to Lumen Field ahead of the World Cup was a concern, but overall, all looked good.
Post-World Cup Slump
In the end, that early season road trip actually turned out to be incredibly successful. After beating Colorado on the opening day, the Sounders lost just one of the five road games, suggesting that preseason forecasts were too cautious, if anything. Unfortunately, there were problems to come.
The mid-season slump actually began just before the World Cup took over soccer in the US for six glorious weeks, but the Sounders were unable to shrug it off once the tournament had ended. An eight-game losing streak has only just finished, with a draw with Cincinnati, and now Seattle needs to get back on track if it is to make a dent on the playoffs later in the year.
Joveljić Boost Needed
Although injuries have played a part in Seattle’s fall this season, a number of players have left the organization, making the signing of Dejan Joveljić a make-or-break move. Sounders fans will remember only too well how devastating he can be, after he ended Seattle’s season in 2024 while at LA Galaxy. Now he will be needed to save his new team’s season this year.
Joveljić was just one of a quartet of stars in that Galaxy team, but he will be the main man in this Sounders attack that desperately needs to start scoring more goals. His goal return at Sporting Kansas City was impressive, considering the team around him, and now he will need to hit the ground running to put Seattle back in contention.
Make the Most of Lumen Field
The payoff for that early season extended road trip is that the Sounders will have more games at Lumen Field in the second half of the season. That homefield advantage really needs to be used with the team in its current predicament. The three-game burst at the end of September seems particularly important.
Games against Real Salt Lake, Minnesota United, then Sporting Kansas City offer an excellent opportunity to rack up the points ahead of a final push. Lumen Field has helped the Sounders on countless occasions in the past, and it feels as though the team will really need the 12th man in the weeks and months ahead.
Postseason Target
It goes without saying that making the postseason should be the absolute minimum target for Seattle this year. Even with such a terrible run of results in mid-season, there is still time to turn things around enough to finish in the top nine in the Western Conference. There is work to do, but that is definitely possible.
Avoiding the Wild Card round would obviously be the preferred route, and then the Sounders can concentrate on progressing as far as possible. There has only been one year when Seattle failed to make the playoffs at all, and that level of failure should not be accepted. This team is more used to going deep into the postseason, and that can still be the aim this year.
Figure 2 The fans at Lumen Field can play their part too – Source: Unsplash
Concentrate on MLS
One distraction that the Sounders didn’t need, and will no longer have to accommodate, along with any other MLS side, is the Leagues Cup. As incredible as claiming the trophy was last season, the campaign fell in with the domestic downturn this year, and now that it is over, there is a renewed chance of improvement.
We all want the Sounders to win every competition it enters, but the realistic position the team finds itself in now forces it to concentrate on MLS. There were positive signs of resilience in the game against Cincinnati that suggest the team has turned a corner, and now it must double down on that to keep going until the end of the season.
There will always be a belief at Lumen Field that the Sounders can succeed. Making the playoffs is the first step, and then Brian Schmetzer’s side can transform into win or bust mode, giving Seattle every chance of going as far as possible again.