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The Sounders fail to hold their spot on the table, losing 1-0 to Houston

At the moment, the Sounders have dropped to a wild card spot, needing a play-in game to make the playoffs. They need wins against top-seed Vancouver and LAFC if they want to control their own destiny.
ByMatthew Faucher
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Oct 28, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Referee Lorenzo Hernandez talks to Seattle Sounders FC forward Dejan Joveljic (9) during the second half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Oct 28, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Referee Lorenzo Hernandez talks to Seattle Sounders FC forward Dejan Joveljic (9) during the second half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It is nearing the end of the season, and the Sounders have floundered to close it out. They are in danger of missing the MLS playoffs for the second time in franchise history. There is an old adage that by the end of the season, things balance out. This in regard to calls by officials and shots going in and just missing. 

If the season is meant to balance out, the Sounders will give up one more penalty shot, and other teams will have 6 goals disallowed by replay. It is easy to look at the last couple of games where the Sounders gave up two penalty kicks on light fouls, then in the game against Houston, 

Dejan Joveljić was tackled in the box as the ball went bouncing harmlessly by. That could have resulted in a penalty shot, one that more than likely would have kept the Sounders above the wild card spot. 

The concern at this point isn’t a lack of talent. It isn’t the effort put in by the players, or the tactics that are being applied. The Sounders have not been playing as a unit, which is understandable considering all of the injuries that have prevented Brian Schmetzer from establishing a consistent starting eleven. While he did assure Sounders Nation that the team will be prepared for the last two games, they don’t have time to work out their miscues. Evidence of this has been the use of subs in the last two games. They let on that the Sounders are desperate, and the players don’t seem to be getting better as the pressure mounts. They play again this weekend against the conference leader, then the last game of the regular season is a week later against LAFC, which is also ahead of them on the table.

Albert Rusnák pointed out that with the international break right after the regular season, that it isn’t about gaining momentum at this point. The thinking is that once the season is over, assuming they make the playoffs (which still isn’t guaranteed at this point), the international games will disrupt any momentum, and the playoffs have a life of their own, the entire season is wiped away and what you do in the postseason creates its own momentum.

As the table stands right now, 2 losses would give 4 teams a chance to pass them, and they would be out of the playoffs if those teams can win their last 2 games and 3 teams can pass them with 1 win. One tie wouldn’t change all that much. One win could allow those 4 teams to at least time them. A win and a tie means two teams could knock them out but those two teams, LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake play each other. Two wins for the Sounders ensures them of the playoffs, but at the worst it would be in the wildcard game. 

Games to watch

So for the last two games, the Sounders (other than trying to win their games) will have an eye on several other games. The most impactful game for the Sounders, other than their own games will be the game between Real Salt Lake and the LA Galaxy in Salt Lake City.

Colorado Rapids play Chicago(4th in the east) at home and Dallas (second in the west)

Real Salt Lake plays at San Jose (5th in the west) and at home against LA Galaxy (9th in the west and out of the playoffs by 1 point)

LA Galaxy (currently out of the playoffs) play at home against Austin (14th in the west and out of the playoffs), and at Real Salt Lake (9th and in the last playoff spot).

Portland (currently out of the playoffs) at home against Houston(4th in the west), and at Austin (14th in the west and eliminated from the playoffs)

The Sounders have an outside chance at catching LAFC, they play Minnesota (12th in the west and need to win out and other teams to lose to advance). If they lose that game and to Seattle, the Sounders can jump them in the table.

So it is time to let your fingernails grow out so you can chew on them, or find whatever else can help you for tense games, because this season comes down to how these games work out. Will the hero be a veteran like Sounders' legend and all-time leading scorer Jordan Morris, Christian Roldan, or Albert Rusnák? Will it be a fan favorite like Nouhou, or a returning player like Paul Rothrock, or a young player like Sebastian Gomez, or Caden Clark, or Andrew Thomas? Each one of them will have their chances to make their mark on the Sounders' season. Then the important games start, but that is for the post-season teams.  

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