Seattle Sounders start to stem the tide

Adrian Hanauer issued a public letter to the fans in which he acknowledged the struggles the club has been having and claimed the Sounders are going to prove that they have been listening to the fans.

The Sounders have one of the best fan bases in the league, but their woes have left some of the fans disappointed. Hanauer asked them for their continued support, but not to drop their title expectations.

That was backed up by a game of mixed reviews. The Sounders and their new striker, Dejan Joveljić, scored two goals for the first time since the Sounders beat San Jose before the World Cup break.

Their pieced-together defense, missing Yemar and Ragen, came up short and conceded twice when they had the lead. The Chicago team was formidable, and they had their chances including a game-ending shot that forced Andrew Thomas into a fully stretched extension dive to keep the score even. That said, for many Sounders players and fans, it still felt like a loss.

It did give the supporters a glimpse of what is to come. With their new striker and the return of Christian Roldan, Jordan Morris and Hassani Dotson, the team is starting to resemble the Sounders when they were dominating play earlier this season.

I have contended that they were lacking an efficient scorer since the departure of Sounders legend Raúl Ruidíaz. With that piece of the puzzle in place, they need to get back to locking down their defense and climb into the playoff picture.

It is sports logic that tells us that teams that go through adversity come out the other side stronger. The Sounders have been through the ringer as of late, but they are starting to get their feet under them and are poised to make a late season run.

The Sounders have only failed to make the playoffs once since joining the MLS, so the question now is can the players remain healthy enough to keep that going?

With the steady play of Albert Rusnák, players returning from injury, the younger players having accrued valuable experience, and the addition of Dejan Joveljić, the Sounders have on paper what they will need for another title run, but they need to start soon or it will be too late.

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