Seattle Sounders FC has been through this before. And before that, still. They’re had so much success with it, slow starts might as well become an annual tradition. The Sounders did so in 2016, seemingly leaving themselves for dead at the MLS All-Star break, but went on to win MLS Cup. They pulled the same trick again in 2017, fostering doubts for half the campaign before a return trip to the final.
If that pattern continues, Seattle will have another stellar season. Through seven games of the 2018 season, the defending Western Conference champions sat at the bottom of the league, taking only five points while scoring a league-low five goals.