This too shall pass

Christian Roldan, Jordan Morris, and Hassani Dotson are reported to be close to coming back, and evaluations will determine if they are green-lit for the game in Cincinnati. While that is a definite positive, be mindful that it will take them time to get up to game speed and match fit. The upside is obvious.

When bringing back the all-time leader in Sounders goals in Morris and the key to the defense/offense transition (Roldan) in the two spots where the Sounders have been the most lacking would be a significant change that may allow them to stem the tide of their losing streak and possibly set up some momentum for a playoff run.

The Sounders have had no margin for error as some critical mistakes were made, including a failure to mark players in the box and not being able to clear the ball on the defensive end. It is unreasonable to ask players to make no mistakes, but that is the situation the Sounders have been in.

The lack of goal scoring has been their other issue. The Sounders tried their third formation of the game in its waning minutes, which did yield a goal, but that is not sustainable to be that open for a counterattack. If Morris can get match fit and catch fire, it should open up some defenses and space for other players to become more dangerous. The Sounders did create more scoring opportunities this game, but Damian Las came up big for Austin in his MLS debut.

What hasn’t been lacking is the effort. Players have made mistakes. Some are very young and being asked to play at a high level before they were ready. Most of the veterans have been injured. The coaching staff has tried different tactics; some have worked better than others. The Sounders have not acquired any new players. Despite all of that, the players have been showing up every game and giving it everything they can. This is not a bad team; it is a good team that is going through a rough patch, as many of the players are licking their wounds.

As an aside, Stuart Hawkins scored his first MLS goal. Unfortunately for the young central defender, that did not coincide with a Sounders win.

Sounders fans were relieved to find out that Jackson Ragen was hurt and not injured during the match. He went down in the first half after hyperextending his knee and subbed out in the second half when his knee tightened up. He is expected to play against Cincinnati, but initially it appeared as if he was just the next player to be added to the disabled list.

When compared to their pre-season expectations, the Sounders have had to shift their course. They were a very deep team last year, so much so that they sent some players away. Now they are trying not to bury themselves in a season of injuries where they find themselves as one of the thinnest rosters in the league. Brian Schmetzer has claimed that there have been numerous conversations about getting new players, but Craig Waibel has yet to supply him with any relief as of yet.

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