Of all the ways the Seattle Sounders hoped to begin their title defense, I think it can safely be said that the first half of Saturday’s game was not one of them. The Sounders were roundly outplayed, looked sluggish and frankly like a team that wasn’t quite ready to play meaningful matches.
The Sounders trailed 2-0 after 45 minutes, yet that understates the gap between the two teams. This was probably their worst half of the Brian Schmetzer era. Yes, even worse than the 4-0 drugging they suffered against the Portland Timbers. With a little better finishing — or without a couple massive saves by Stefan Frei — the Houston Dynamo could have easily scored a few more goals.