The Seattle Sounders are staring down their longest regular season losing streak since 2013, dropping four straight matches, and now they are heading cross-country to face a Philadelphia Union team that is finally showing signs of life. This Saturday at 4:30 PM PT, the boys in green and blue need to dig deep, especially with a truly brutal list of unavailable players.
What’s Going On With Our Squad?
Honestly, it feels like we are playing short-handed every single week, and this match against the Union is no different. We are looking at as many as six potential starters either out or questionable for this road trip. The latest gut punch? Jackson Ragen is suspended after picking up two yellow cards in that tough loss to Austin FC. And that’s not even half the story. The injury report is a nightmare: Pedro de la Vega is out with a knee injury, Kim Kee-hee has a hamstring issue, Jordan Morris is sidelined with a quad injury, Nikola Petković is battling a knee problem, Alex Roldan has a hip injury, and even Cristian Roldan, our midfield dynamo, is out with a quad issue. Plus, Yeimar Gómez Andrade and Ryan Sailor are both questionable with hamstring concerns. That is an absolutely staggering list, and it makes turning this ship around an even bigger challenge for Coach Schmetzer and the squad.
The Union’s Unexpected Turnaround
This Philadelphia Union team we are about to play? They were absolute bottom-feeders for much of the season leading up to the World Cup break. These guys, the defending Supporters’ Shield winners, were so bad that their coach, Bradley Carnell, the reigning MLS Coach of the Year, actually got fired and replaced by interim coach Ryan Richter. It just goes to show how wild this league can be. But get this, they looked WAY better in their first game back, beating the New York Red Bulls 3,1. That was their first home win of the season, can you believe it? They are still sitting last in the overall standings with just 10 points through 16 matches, but that win against the Red Bulls shows they are not just going to roll over. We beat them 3,2 back in 2024, and our all-time record against them is perfectly even at 5,5,3. This ain’t a guaranteed win, not with our current form and injury list.
Road Warrior Milestone on the Horizon
Despite the recent skid, there are some pretty cool milestones within reach for the Sounders this weekend. We are just one victory away from hitting our 100th MLS road win since joining the league way back in 2009. Think about all the miles and battles that represents. Plus, our legendary coach Brian Schmetzer is sitting on 148 career wins, and hitting 150 would put him in an elite club as only the ninth coach in MLS history to reach that mark. What a moment that would be for him, especially if it helps us break this frustrating losing streak. We need this win, not just for the standings, but for pride, for our coach, and for that road warrior legacy. Catch the game on AppleTV or listen in on 93.3 KJR-FM Seattle. Let’s get that W, boys!
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.
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