"The sea hates a coward"

This season we've learned that the defense must be near-perfect for the Seattle Sounders to win. With an offense that struggles to score goals (1.57/game since acquiring Dejan Joveljić, an improvement on their 1.1 prior*) the team has an aversion to risk and yet still give up more shots than they take.

Schmetzer's side is 1-8-3 in MLS play when giving up 2 or more goals. Even giving up a single goal is a toss up, with a very mediocre 4-4-5 record. Scoring first and then holding on has been the key to the too-limited successes in 2026.

Between a lack of offensive punch and a defense that is weaker than typical for the Sounders, the team puts in the effort to compete rather than dominate. Two…