After early season woes, momentum is in Sounders FC's favor

Commentary: Early season woes in rearview mirror, momentum all in Sounders FC favor

The Sounders have just one loss in their last 12 matches across all competitions and are now four points above the playoff line in the Western Conference.

SEATTLE - If you missed Sunday’s Mariners game, I’ll spare you the misery for another few minutes. But my goodness, does that team have an uncanny knack for giving us reasons to shake our heads in bewilderment.

But maybe, just maybe, they can turn things around again, like the Sounders FC.

Just about three months ago, Seattle was in second-to-last place in the Western Conference. In their first nine matches, they had just one win. It was the worst start in franchise history. And in what was seen by some as a sacrilegious thought, the job security of coach Brian Schmetzer was actually being questioned.

Not anymore. They’ve won five straight matches across all competitions. In their last 12 matches since May 16, the Sounders have lost just once. They’re now four points above the playoff line, and they’re two wins from winning another U.S. Open Cup.

And it feels like they’re just getting started. Last night, heralded off-season signing Pedro de la Vega got just his second start of the season, after missing the first part of the year with hamstring injuries. The 23-year-old still hasn’t played more than 45 minutes in a single match this season, so imagine how much of a difference he’ll make when he’s contributing regularly.

Then there’s Jordan Morris, who had just one goal and one assist total in the first 13 matches of the season. And has since caught absolute fire.

Morris now has nine goals in the Sounders' last 11 matches. The scoring drought that befell him two months ago has given way to a windfall of scoring. With 11 matches left in the regular season, he’s only three goals from tying his career high, which he set in his rookie season in 2016.

And then there’s the guy we’ll just call the good luck charm, Paul Rothrock. The Sounders are undefeated across all competitions in the five games Rothrock has started. They’re 8-1-1 in matches in which he’s played at least 23 minutes. More Rothrock, please.

HOUSTON, TEXAS - JUNE 19: Paul Rothrock #14 of Seattle Sounders celebrates after scoring in the second half against the Houston Dynamo at Shell Energy Stadium on June 19, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Logan Riely / Getty Images)

Regardless, the point remains: this is a team that’s undergone an unexpected revival when some thought the product was beginning to get stale. A team that has done anything but quit, as shown in their three straight comebacks to earn two wins and a draw during the most recent stretch.

Three months ago, Rave Green TV published a video titled "How have the Seattle Sounders become the Worst Team in MLS?" Last month, another video was titled "Schmetzer’s Time is Up."

Now, we’re talking about a turnaround reminiscent of eight years ago, when they won it all for the first time. And a run in the U.S. Open Cup that just might commemorate the 10-year anniversary of their last championship with another one.

If we’ve learned anything in the 50-year history of this organization, it’s to never count them out. The recent run of play is the perfect reminder – and hopefully a harbinger of bigger things to come.