Delirium in Denver: Sounders Claw Back in Draw with Rapids, Reign Fall to Summit
The Seattle Sounders and Seattle Reign both traveled to Denver for respective matches with the Colorado Rapids and Denver Summit on Saturday, with both squads fighting for playoff positioning.
The Sounders (7-9-8, 13th in MLS Western Conference) found themselves down 3-1 late before transfer-window additions Dejan Joveljic and Caden Clark scored long-distance lasers in the 79th and stoppage time, respectively, to make it 3-3 by the time the final whistle sounded. The result was the Sounders fifth straight draw, as Seattle looks forward to three matches at home in the next 10 days — the Sounders are still just three points behind ninth-place Portland with two games in hand and 10 matches to play.
As for the Reign (11-10-4), it was the second straight loss to a team just beneath them in the race for the NWSL’s eighth and final playoff spot. Head coach Laura Harvey wasn’t pleased with her team’s early effort as Seattle went down 2-0 before Brittany Ratcliffe pulled one back in the early second half to give Seattle a chance. Seattle could be on the outside looking in sooner than expected if Angel City, who beat the Reign on Wednesday, pulls out a win in Utah on Sunday afternoon.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali breaks down the action.
Previewing Gonzaga's 2026-27 Notable Nonconference Opponents
Although neither their 2026-27 roster nor full schedule is finalized, the Gonzaga Bulldogs have several marquee nonconference matchups set in stone for this season. The Zags always try to play the toughest opponents possible outside their league, aiming to build a strong resume for NCAA Tournament seeding.
Last year, things didn’t go as planned, with Michigan and Alabama being viewed as the only quality teams Gonzaga played by March. But even with their horrid loss to the Wolverines, GU earned a 3-seed with a 30-3 record and a 16-2 mark in WCC play. Also, fellow West Coast Conference teams Saint Mary’s and Santa Clara punched tickets to the dance, and the Bulldogs won three of their four matchups against those two.
Even with its transition to the revamped Pac-12, Gonzaga still doesn’t play in a conference on the level of the country’s power schools. So this season, the Zags have assembled one of the nation’s most daunting non-conference slates, including 10 power conference programs and four of last season’s NCAA Tournament participants.
Huskies Dominate Eastern Washington, Leave Unanswered Questions
No drama this time.
Not in this week’s result, though concerns remain despite a decisive win over an FCS opponent.
The Washington Huskies football team capped its non-conference slate with a 48-16 win over Eastern Washington on Saturday at Husky Stadium. The Huskies, favored by more than three touchdowns before eking out wins against Washington State and Utah State, dispatched the 42.5-point underdog Eagles from Cheney with relative ease.
The announced attendance was 61,619, though it appeared that many of the purported attendees found something else to do while Washington (3-0) played an inferior opponent for the third straight week.
What the undefeated start means remains to be seen when UW opens its stretch of nine straight Big Ten games next Saturday against Minnesota. And despite the lopsided result, there is still work to be done as the competition stiffens dramatically over the next few games.
Mariners Split First Two against Rockies, Reach Edge of Elimination
When the M’s looked at their schedule in the early months of 2026, the antepenultimate series of the season - a three-game set against the Colorado Rockies - surely did not stand out as particularly important.
The 2025 Rockies, who were the second-to-last regular season series for the M’s, had been mere speed bumps for Cal Raleigh to reach the six decade mark and for the team to clinch its spot as AL West champs. The fact that their opponents were then the Rockies meant nothing, because the story of that team at that point was what they could do, rather than what could be done to them.
And as it turned out, it is not. Despite the fact that the two teams will be separated by somewhere on the order of 15 to 20 wins at the end of the year, neither one will be going anywhere in October. The Rockies, as expected, have been one of the worst teams in the sport, long competing for the NL West cellar with the near-equally hapless Giants until the bottom fell out in September with a 1-11 run going into their series with Seattle.
Over the first two games of their series, the teams have split a game apiece, looking very much evenly matched as they battled - perhaps flailed is a better term - against each other in picturesque Coors Field. Seattle won 5-4 on Friday while Colorado prevailed 5-3 on Saturday, nearly even tallies for teams that, by this point of the year, were nearly even in ability.
Perhaps the Mariners could have won both had their defense been merely average; perhaps the Rockies could have won both had their pitching been merely average. Both teams ensured that their performance in this series wouldn’t meaningfully impact their chances long before they actually faced off; the only difference is that the Mariners didn’t expect it to happen to them.
Thriving in Newest Role With Seahawks, Brady Russell Keeps Seizing Opportunities
In the modern NFL, the traditional fullback has largely steered towards the path of extinction, with most teams not even rostering a player at the position and opting to utilize tight ends, offensive linemen, or even defensive linemen as a lead blocker when duty calls in short yardage.
But a handful of teams have zigged while the rest of the league zags, and the Seahawks jumped back into the mix as a team that deploys fullbacks last season when they hired Klint Kubiak as their offensive coordinator, bringing in a heralded play caller from the Shanahan coaching tree who ran a run-first West coast style scheme. Coming off a Super Bowl win, after using two-back sets north of 21% of the time in 2025, the team replaced Kubiak with another Shanahan disciple in Brian Fleury, ensuring fullbacks would remain a big piece of the puzzle.
Those plans appeared to be in trouble in early August, as expected starter Robbie Ouzts missed multiple practices before being placed on injured reserve with a neck injury, ending his season before it even started. With few college programs developing fullbacks these days, there weren’t many replacement options available to sign off the free agent market, leaving a big void in Fleury’s two-back heavy system.
Fortunately, Seattle has been building a contingency plan at the position over the past calendar year since Kubiak first arrived and continuing with Fleury’s hire, with do-it-all tight end and special teams ace Brady Russell now more than ready to take on the role in Ouzts’ absence after largely learning through observation last season.
Instant Takeaways: Storm Allow Massive Run in Loss to Valkyries
The Seattle Storm put forth possibly their worst 13 minutes of basketball all season in the second and third quarters, but they finished strong with an attempted comeback in a 70-57 loss to the Golden State Valkyries on Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Chase Center.
Seattle (8-34) lost its second straight game since the FIBA break ended. Flau’jae Johnson was the Storm’s only double-digit scorer with 17 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Dominique Malonga and Awa Fam each added eight points and combined for 15 rebounds.
Even without former Storm star Gabby Williams, Golden State (31-11) inched within a half-game of the Minnesota Lynx (31-10) for the No. 1 seed in the WNBA standings. Five players scored 10 or more points, led by Kaila Charles with 16 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and four steals.
Kraken Depth Shines in 4-2 Preseason Win vs. Canucks
The Seattle Kraken iced a roster of depth and bubble players, against a Vancouver Canucks team of a similar caliber. Still, the Kraken took care of business with a 4-2 win, where the team showed the wealth of talent battling for spots in the bottom of the lineup.
Seattle didn’t have any of their certain top-nine forwards (Jared McCann, Matty Beniers, Jordan Eberle, Bobby McMann, Chandler Stephenson, Mackie Samoskevich, Shane Wright, Kaapo Kakko, and Berkly Catton) play in the game. The “top line” featured Oscar Fisker-Mølgaard centering Frederik Gaudreau and Jani Nyman. Only one other line featured NHL hopefuls: Jake O’Brien with Jacob Melanson and Ben Myers.
Defensively, the Kraken also played more fringe roster players in Ryan Lindgren, Ville Ottavainen, Josh Mahura, Tyson Jugnauth, Cale Fleury, and Ty Nelson. Joey Daccord was pulled after saving all 14 shots he faced, and Nike Kokko allowed two goals on six shots.
PODCAST: Kraken Kick Off Training Camp, Aims to Make Strides in Lane Lambert’s Second Season
A new season has officially arrived for the Seattle Kraken, and though expectations outside the organization remain relatively low after missing the postseason a year ago, the team hopes to turn the corner in Lane Lambert's second season.
Kraken the Ice host Nick Lee discusses Seattle's choices for captain alternates behind Jordan Eberle, breaks down what fans should be keeping a close eye on during the Kraken's preseason slate, and revisits playoff odds with the offseason now in the rear view mirror as camp gets underway.
Washington State Offense Looks to Bounce Back Against FCS Foe Duquesne
After a tough 34-7 loss to Kansas State last weekend, the Washington State offense will look to find its identity and put together a much better performance when the Cougars host Duquesne on Saturday at 12:30 PM PT at Gesa Field.
Washington State enters the matchup 0-2 after opening the season with road games against No. 17 Washington as well as Kansas State. The Cougars have struggled to consistently move the football during the first two games, and the offense will have an opportunity to get back on track in its home opener against an FCS underdog.
The Dukes also enter the game 0-2 after losses to Air Force and Youngstown State. Duquesne has allowed 104 points through its first two games, giving Washington State a prime opportunity to get into a rhythm on offense versus one of the worst defenses at the lower Division I level so far.
Seahawks Injury Report: Tory Horton to Make 2026 Debut vs. Cardinals, Zach Charbonnet on the Mend
Coach Mike Macdonald remained coy as usual on the status of two noteworthy starters following Friday’s walkthrough practice, but the Seattle Seahawks will at least have their full receiving arsenal on tap for backup quarterback Drew Lock in Arizona.
Per Macdonald, the Seahawks will finally welcome second-year wideout Tory Horton back to the lineup for the first time in nearly a calendar year, marking his first game action since a shin injury cost him the final eight regular season games as well as the entire Super Bowl run as a rookie. A hamstring injury suffered during training camp ended up knocking him out of preseason action and he didn’t dress for the team’s 13-10 win over the Patriots in their season opener last week.
“Tory’s back. Had a great week at practice, excited to see him play. He’s worked hard,” Macdonald said.
It’s been a long haul back for Horton, who confirmed in the early stages of training camp that he played through the injury for several weeks before landing on injured reserve, undergoing surgery after the Super Bowl and having a rod inserted into his leg. Requiring several months of healing, he didn’t participate in Seattle’s on-field offseason activities, but he avoided starting the new season on the PUP list and gradually ramped up his practice work before his latest setback occurred in mid-August.
Big Ten Picks: Huskies Will Silence Eastern, Not Doubters, This Week
Can the mighty Eastern Washington Eagles stun Washington this week?
Well…
No…
This isn’t Vernon Adams and Cooper Kupp coming to town this week. That duo was trying to score late to stun the Huskies in 2014. First-year UW coach Chris Petersen and his team held on to win 59-52 that day, just three years after Steve Sarkisian escaped the Eagles with a 30-27 win.
All those Eags are long gone, however. Eastern, a powerhouse during the 2010s, last finished with a winning season in 2021. They’re off to a 1-2 start this season, and Eastern will soon be 1-3.
The Huskies, of course, have problems of their own despite a 2-0 start. Though they beat Washington State 24-10, the Cougars trailed just 10-7 in the fourth quarter. Last week, Utah State was throwing into the end zone to win the game, which UW held on to win 13-10.
There are plenty of questions about head coach Jedd Fisch’s offense, Demond William Jr.’s quarterback play, a running back room depleted by injuries and an offensive line that has failed to dominate lesser opponents the first two weeks.
Instant Takeaways: Storm Give Up Season-High Points vs. Aces in First Game Back From FIBA Break
A’ja Wilson (29 points) and Jackie Young (35 points) scored a combined 64 points and the Seattle Storm gave up a season-high in points in a 114-77 loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday, Sept. 17, at Climate Pledge Arena.
Seattle (8-33) was without Ezi Magbegor, Jordan Horston, Jade Melbourne and Katie Lou Samuelson, even though they did get Natisha Hiedeman back on the court for the first time since Aug. 14.
Las Vegas (28-13) continued to look like it could repeat as WNBA champions as a true powerhouse of the league, led by its top two stars. The Storm couldn’t keep up whatsoever.
Seattle Soccer Update: Reign Fall to Angel City, Sounders Lose Rothrock to Hamstring Injury
Seattle’s top-flight soccer teams suffered blows in the middle of the week, as the Seattle Reign lost a key playoff matchup to Angel City 3-1 on Wednesday night while Sounders leading scorer Paul Rothrock was ruled out for the next eight to 10 weeks with a hamstring injury on Tuesday. The Reign (11-9-4) cling to the final NWSL playoff spot with six games to play while the 14th-place Sounders (7-9-7) look to claw back into the MLS Western Conference playoff race with an international break to come.
ECS beat reporter Qasim Ali breaks down what it all means before both teams play critical matches in Denver this weekend.
‘Got My Schedule Down’: Drew Lock Sticking to Process Gearing Up for Rare Seahawks Start in Arizona
Now in the midst of his eighth NFL season and not far off from his 30th birthday, Seattle Seahawks veteran Drew Lock has a pretty good beat on how the practice week changes when injuries strike and the opportunity presents itself to start.
But as Lock ramps up preparation to make his first regular season start since 2024 when Seattle travels to Arizona for its NFC West opener, the former Missouri star isn’t reinventing the wheel by any means. Though he will get the bulk of the first-team snaps under center on the practice field with Jalen Milroe occasionally subbing in, a far cry from his usual workload where he might get 10 snaps in a week if lucky, he has settled into a routine over the past several seasons serving as a backup that he won’t detour away from much, if at all, going into Sunday.
Expressing as much in a playful manner behind the podium prior to Thursday’s practice, Lock joked that he "started sweating at 11 instead of 2” when asked about the biggest differences between work days this week as the announced starter compared to the norm when Sam Darnold gets all of the reps.
“I'm attacking this week. It's obviously not the same because I'm going out and doing more in practice, in ACTs, but with the same mindset as I would if I wasn't playing,” Lock explained. “Or in the rare occasion last week where I was… You install first and second down on Wednesdays. By the time it gets to Friday night or Saturday, you don't forget about the first and second down plays. You start focus on third down and red zone. No, I feel like I've been through this process enough. I've got my schedule down, and I'm sticking by it.”
Ashlyn Dvorak Stands Tall for Cougars in 2-1 Win Over Redhawks
As Washington State’s PA began his 10 second remaining countdown, the Redhawks got it to their leading scorer on the season, U'i Kaaihue, with a clean look at the goal. It came off her left foot as a straight-line drive into Wazzu goalkeeper Ashlyn Dvorak’s chest for a fitting final test in her career-night leading the Cougs’ 2-1 win over Seattle U Wednesday night at Lower Soccer Field.
Dvorak recorded a career-high 13 saves, building off her previous best nine saves just one game ago against Cal State Fullerton. 13 saves put Dvorak beside two other Cougs in a tie for fifth-most saves in a single game.
Dvorak’s heroics were set up from a picture perfect Wazzu start when Isabella Amado put the Cougs on the board in just 54 seconds. Amado handled the ball on the right side of the field with a teammate streaking down the sideline. This put the Redhawk defender in a bind, but she committed to denying the pass. Amado made the right read and took the space, getting all the way into the penalty box and placing it top right for the sixth-fastest goal in program history.
No Oasis for Seahawks: Cardinals Ready to Make It a Fight in Desert
Every fan does it. When their team’s schedule is released, they immediately pour over it, looking for the assumed “easy” wins. Most rational fans would have pointed to the Seattle Seahawks, who are the defending Super Bowl champions, winning their Week 2 matchup in the desert with the lowly Arizona Cardinals.
Now, after one week of data on each team, this trip to the desert will not be one of luxury, laying poolside sipping prickly pear margaritas for Seattle. The Cardinals look feisty. They look hungry. Rookie head coach Mike LaFleur just took down one of the AFC’s assumed top teams in the Chargers on the road. Arizona racked up nearly 400 yards and held the Bolts to just 268 in the 12-point upset win.
Sam Darnold ‘Killing It’ in Rehab, Confirmed Out for Seahawks at Cardinals in Week 2
From a long-term prognosis standpoint, Sam Darnold appears to be on a trajectory to return in the not-so-distant future for the Seattle Seahawks. But that future won’t be as early as this upcoming weekend.
Rather than dance around the possibility of Darnold potentially being available to play in Arizona against the Cardinals on Sunday, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald confirmed the Pro Bowl quarterback would sit out this week, yielding the controls to the offense to backup Drew Lock. Fortunately, injured reserve isn’t on the table at the moment, and the organization will revisit his status next week.
“We don’t anticipate putting him on I.R. or anything like that,” Macdonald told reporters. “We’ll just kinda re-evaluate every day and re-evaluate next week. We’ll go from there, but he won’t play this week.”
Knocked out just six plays into Seattle’s season opener, Darnold’s right knee rammed into the turf when New England defensive end Dre’Mont Jones brought him down from behind for a drive-ending third down sack. He hobbled off the field and after trying to shake off the discomfort, he spent a brief moment in the injury tent before limping alongside trainers into the locker room, ruled out late in the second quarter due to a hip injury with Lock playing the remainder of the game.
Kraken Set Their Leadership Group, Tab Jordan Eberle as Captain With Four Alternates
It’s just about hockey season. And that means announcing captains and alternates. The Seattle Kraken are heading into the 2026-27 season with a familiar face leading the way and two defensemen officially taking on larger leadership roles with a few returning faces.
The Kraken announced Wednesday that Jordan Eberle will serve as team captain for a third consecutive season, while defensemen Vince Dunn and Brandon Montour have been named alternate captains. They join returning alternate captains Matty Beniers and Adam Larsson to form Seattle's leadership group.
Eberle's continued presence at the top of the group provides the Kraken with a steady veteran voice as the franchise enters another important season. The 36-year-old has worn the captain's “C” since the 2024-25 season and has become one of the team's most recognizable leaders both on and off the ice. He led the squad in goals last season with 26.
But perhaps the most interesting part of this year's announcement is the decision to give Dunn and Montour the “A.” Neither selection comes as a major surprise when looking at how both defensemen have grown into leadership roles in Seattle.
Mariners Cement Losing Season, Drop Another Game to Angels
When Cole Young rolled one over weakly to second for a game-ending double play on Tuesday, a grim reality that had been all but assured for weeks became official: the 2026 Mariners are a losing team.
Seattle’s 2-1 loss to the Angels dropped the team to a 70-82 record with 10 games left to play. The playoff picture, which became even uglier as the Astros and Rangers both won, is now hardly worth thinking about.
Tuesday’s step into the abyss, like all 81 before them, had a little bit of symbolism. Dan Wilson, surrounded by smoke that he will step down when this year is done, took out one of the team’s top prospects in favor of their half-measure rental.
As any individual game goes, however, Tuesday’s was unremarkable. Logan Gilbert pitched well but got saddled with a loss because the offense died down aside from one run. The team squandered its chances with runners in scoring position. From the 10-foot view, it isn’t meaningfully different from the other losses; in the story of how the M’s went from one to 82, it is only valuable as a milestone.
The 10,000-foot view shows us that this was part of an inexorable pattern. The M’s would often chalk up such games to bad luck, but now there is no ignoring even for Wilson: it wasn’t bad luck.
“We were just waiting for it to turn around, and it never quite did,” Gilbert said. “It’s on us. At the end of the day, that’s the reality of it. We need to be accountable and know that we have to execute better. Things have to change. We have to have those conversations and figure it out.”
Washington Adds Veteran Guard Tayshawn Comer to Bolster Backcourt
The Washington Huskies recently received a new commitment, landing combo guard Tayshawn Comer from Nevada. A fifth-year senior, he will provide ample competition for the backup point guard spot for a team with only one true floor general on its roster in Ryan Beasley.
This is a notable signing considering the Huskies already had a full roster at 15 players. While most players have already officially signed, Boris Tisma and Wini Braga are the only two international additions who reportedly have not. This likely means one of them has been unable to get cleared by the NCAA in time to play this November.
It would be an unfortunate turn for Washington, as both Tisma and Braga projected to be heavy contributors.
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