Is the Sounders’ margin of error too small?

Last year, there was enough talent that every starting position on the field was being contended. After an injury plagued season, can the Sounders make the playoffs with their current team?

Several players, in the Sounders' abundance of talent, left the team to seek out new places to play so they could play more minutes. Two attacking players, Ryan Kent and Georgi Minoungou were in that situation. The Sounders could use them now. Their injury-riddled lineup has limited the decisions Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer can make with the anaemic offense.

Jesus Ferreira was the latest Sounder to go down via injury. Additionally, Snyder Brunell was taken off as a precaution with a tight quad. What Brian Schmetzer claimed to be a need for “belief” may be much more than that. The Sounders have dropped a franchise-record 7 straight league games; what needs to change?

“They are not your friend,” Schmetzer claimed when addressing the attitude and fight the players displayed. Albert Rusnák added that players need to be aggressive in taking chances, and Alex Roldan spoke about how the Sounders have been a team that has “pushed through” and put in the extra effort to make more chances.

With so many younger players on the team, many seem to be happy to be in the game, where they are sacrificing some of the competitive edge that has been a Seattle calling card since it joined the MLS.

To their credit, the Sounders did hold on for almost 80 minutes before they conceded. They only made a couple of mistakes during the game, but they resulted in goals. With their lackluster offense, the game was decided, and Vancouver celebrated the Cascadia Cup victory in front of the empty Seattle stadium.

Paul Rothrock is putting in the effort, lacks the skill required, or the belief in himself to make better plays. His effort stands out, but it isn't enough. Nouhou played a spectacular game, but his one mistake, which allowed an attacking player to stay onside, cost the team. Schmetzer claimed that “Help is coming” with players, but it was not clear if he meant new signings or returning injured players. When asked about changing formations and tactics moving forward, Schmetzer referred to some of the recent call-ups not really being ready and there being a shortage of players that would make any tactic successful, but that everything at this point was "on the table."

Even if the players come back from injury, the Sounders have lacked a legitimate scoring threat since the departure of Raul Ruidiaz. A target on the inside would draw defenders and open up the play on the attacking end as well as convert chances into goals. With a team that is only generating a couple of chances a game, too much is being asked of the defense to play error-free. Other teams capitalize on their mistakes, and the result is goals that win the game.

Is the help promised a big signing that can change the complexion of the team? Think back to when Clint Dempsey arrived, the offense was supercharged, and the team found success. Now there is a hole that keeps sucking players into it like quicksand, handing them injury upon injury until there isn’t enough talent or wherewithal to win, let alone return to being the gold standard for the league.

The Sounders are currently out of the playoffs, and without some changes, that is where they will end up if they don’t change their margin of error or their tenacity. The fans left before the game ended, but those fans are still supporting the Sounders, just maybe not the shell of a team the Sounders are putting up on the pitch each match.

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