Have reports of Seattle Sounders FC's demise been exaggerated?
Only time will tell, but as the Rave Green look to kickstart a 2023 season stuck in neutral, Wednesday night's 2-1 road victory over Austin FC was the type of result that can provide a spark.
Coming into the contest winless in their last six matches across all competitions, Seattle snatched the last-gasp win at Q2 Stadium in dramatic fashion via a 90th-minute winner from midfielder Albert RusnĂ¡k that offered up as much relief as it did elation.
"Yeah, the team hasn't won in six games, many people have written about that," Seattle head coach Brian Schmetzer said after the match. "So the game was a just result for the people that don't believe that this team is still capable of winning games. I believe that this team can win, the players in the locker room believe that they can win. I think games like this will help us for the remainder of the season."
Changes pay dividends
Schmetzer unveiled a couple of tactical tweaks in the match, opting to rest some of his regular starters for younger players such as Josh Atencio, Reed Baker-Whiting and Ethan Dobbelaere. Jordan Morris was also given the start up top in place of star forward RaĂºl RuidĂaz, who's in the midst of a lengthy scoreless drought that has now exceeded 700 minutes.
Morris rewarded that move with a first-half opener, and Rusnak's winner gave Seattle their first multi-goal game in MLS play since their last win: A three-goal outburst back on July 8 against Vancouver Whitecaps FC. While the last stretch of the season has admittedly been a slog, Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei said that makes the midweek victory all the more important for his team's psychological outlook as they look to solidify their playoff positioning.
With the win, Seattle are now third in the Western Conference table (11W-9L-7D) and level on 40 points with second-place LAFC, who hold the edge on tiebreakers.
"Confidence," said Frei, who made several key saves in the match. "We've gone through it, we've stuck with it, we've kept fighting, we've kept training really hard. It's difficult when you try and try and try and you never get rewarded, it's demoralizing at times. But you've got to keep going, you've got to keep going. That's why I think today is such a good result because it is one of those games where we had to keep going. It wasn't an easy, clean 3-0 victory here. It was a hard-fought battle.
"Which is kind of what I think we've been doing throughout the year. We've been fighting and fighting and fighting. So for us to finally be able to reward ourselves today, it feels really, really good. It feels good for the confidence, it feels good for the unit, for the team. Now we have to build on it."
Vintage Lodeiro
The performance of Sounders captain NicolĂ¡s Lodeiro has been a prominent talking point in recent weeks, as the Uruguayan maestro hasn't managed his typically-gaudy assist output over the course of the club's recent offensive woes.
While the Designated Player's future remains uncertain as he plays out the final year of his contract, Lodeiro might have made a statement he's not done just yet, putting in a vintage shift. He's now assisted in each of Seattle's last two games after his pinpoint set-piece delivery set up Morris's opening goal and was also central to the sequence that led to RusnĂ¡k's decisive strike.
"Another very good performance," Schmetzer said of the 34-year-old. "... What I will say about Nico Lodeiro is you cannot, even as he gets a little older and maybe guys are catching him, you cannot fault his effort and his desire to win, his ability to sacrifice things, his ability to lead by example in big moments."
Added RusnĂ¡k: "It's only good for the team when Nico plays well. We know all his qualities and we know what he can do. Today was one of those games."
Portland await
It sets up a Cascadia clash with the Portland Timbers at Lumen Field on Saturday (10:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass), one that carries heavy postseason implications in addition to being one of the league's fiercest regional rivalries.
Fighting to save their season in the aftermath of the departure of head coach Giovanni Savarese, the Timbers will no doubt be charged up for their trip north to a venue where they've enjoyed some great success in recent matchups between the sides. For Seattle, Wednesday's win only means something if they can parlay into momentum.
Correcting their home form, where Seattle have a pedestrian 6W-4L-4D record this season, will also be paramount as they aim to secure hosting rights in the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs.
"Now it's time to start winning games at Lumen Field, at home," RusnĂ¡k said. "And there's no better game, to be honest, than the one that's coming Saturday."
