The Seattle Sounders are staring down what could be the crossroads match of their entire season tonight against 14th-place Austin FC. Yeah, that’s right, the same Austin FC that hasn’t won a single game away from Q2 Stadium this year, sporting a dismal 0-8-3 road record across all competitions. By all accounts, the Sounders *should* be the favorites here.
The Slide Is Real, and So Are the Injuries
Man, if you’ve been watching our boys in green and blue lately, you know that “should be favorites” feeling is nowhere to be found. We’re on a brutal seven-game league losing streak, and it’s nine losses out of our last ten matches across all competitions. That legendary 22-game home unbeaten streak? Gone, a distant memory after three straight league losses right there in Lumen Field. It’s tough to watch, plain and simple.
And it gets worse. The injury list just keeps growing. We just got the gut-punch news that Jesús Ferreira might be out for the rest of the season. That means tonight we’re without at least six players who’d be starting if things were ideal. Think about it: out of our nine Designated Player, TAM, or U22 spots, basically, the guys we’ve poured serious roster resources into, only Albert Rusnák is available. It’s a brutal hand to be dealt.
Win Tonight, or Brace For the Worst
But here’s the thing, the season isn’t totally lost. Not yet, anyway. A win tonight? That puts us back to .500, could launch us from 11th to 8th in the Western Conference, and suddenly we’re just three points shy of 5th, with a game in hand! Imagine that! Plus, we know a bunch of those injured starters are getting close to returning, and there’s even whispers of outside reinforcements possibly on the way. It takes some serious optimism, yeah, but it’s not crazy to think we could still turn this thing around.
A loss, though? That opens up a seriously dark path. If we can’t beat the league’s *only* winless road team, even with our current injury woes, where does the next win come from? Seriously, where? Our schedule doesn’t get easier after this. We’re visiting über-talented FC Cincinnati this weekend, then hosting the red-hot Chicago Fire. We don’t host another team outside of a playoff position until October 1. The doomer vision board, as much as I hate to even think about it, includes a nightmare scenario where we’re on a 15-game losing streak by the time we host league-worst Sporting KC. That’s just soul-crushing to imagine.
This is it, Seattle. Tonight is everything. The boys absolutely have to get a result against Austin FC. Kickoff is at 6:30 PM PT on Apple TV. Let’s hope they put all this worry to bed with a massive win.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Sounder at Heart.
Leave a Reply