WATCH: Sounders Snap Eight-Game Losing Streak, Draw with Cincinnati Despite Rotated Team
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali breaks down the Seattle Sounders’ 1-1 draw at FC Cincinnati on Saturday night.
The result marked the end of a franchise-worst eight-game MLS losing streak as Kalani Kossa-Rienzi bagged the equalizer in the 83rd minute off service from Albert Rusnak. Seattle also managed to split the points with a heavily rotated squad that saw Stuart Hawkins and Ryan Sailor notch 90-minute games while winger Paul Rothrock wore the captain’s armband for the first time.
Sounders to Sign Kansas City Star Striker Dejan Joveljić in $6 Million Deal
The Seattle Sounders were sick of answering for their lack of midseason signings, and they put the criticism to rest on Saturday evening.
GM Craig Waibel and company reportedly agreed to sign Sporting Kansas City star striker Dejan Joveljić for $6 million, according to Fabrizio Romano and later confirmed by other sources. The 27-year-old Serbian was in his second season at KC after four successful years with the LA Galaxy, culminating in a 2024 MLS Cup win.
The move signals Seattle’s first summer signing since 2021, with the transfer window set to close on Sept. 2. In the midst of a record MLS eight-game losing streak, head coach Brian Schmetzer had repeatedly hinted at the Sounders having a move in the works.
That purported move apparently came to fruition on Saturday with the team on the road in Cincinnati, picking up a draw for its first points in eight fixtures. Seattle is 7-9-4 and in 11th place in the Western Conference — two points behind ninth-place Portland.
As for Joveljić, he’s scored 60 goals in five and a half MLS campaigns and brings instant offense to the second-least productive offense in the league. Seattle’s striker pairing of Danny Musovski and Osaze De Rosario has combined for just three MLS goals in 21 games while designated player Jordan Morris has missed large chunks of the season injured as his year-to-year production craters from all-time-leading-scorer territory.
Schmetzer has been openly challenging one of the strikers to make the starting job their own, to no avail on an offense that’s struggling overall.
To make way for the new DP, who's making a listed wage of $3 million according to Capology, Niko Moreno of Sounder at Heart reported the team extended DP Albert Rusnák by two-and-a-half years to move him out of a DP spot. If that report holds, Seattle’s three DP spots will be occupied by Joveljić, Morris (set to return in the next month) and injured winger Pedro de la Vega (out for the season, quad).
Rusnák’s deal, which carried a club option next season, has him carrying a cap hit of nearly $2.7 million this season, per Spotrac.com.
The deal also puts to use the funds Seattle has generated by its many outbound transfers of young players. Midfield Obed Vargas fetched $3 million from Atletico Madrid before the season while Georgi Minoungou (Colorado Rapids) and Danny Leyva (Nexaca) also pulled in $3 combined.
5 Burning Questions as Seahawks Face Titans in Second Preseason Game
Taking their training camp show on the road for detour to Nashville, the Seattle Seahawks held a spirited joint practice with the Tennessee Titans on Friday, likely meaning that no noteworthy starters will play for Mike Macdonald’s squad in Sunday’s second preseason game.
However, that doesn’t mean that the second dress rehearsal at Nissan Stadium isn’t still an important one. Even if Sam Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Leonard Williams, and other stars stay on the sidelines with a jersey and ball cap on, plenty of roster spots remain up for grabs in all three phases with Seattle’s matchup against Tennessee providing another valuable opportunity to impress the coaching staff with cutdown day now less than two weeks away.
Looking to turn in a far better performance than they did in a 17-7 loss to the Cowboys on their home turf last weekend, here are five key questions for the Seahawks heading into their latest preseason tuneup against the Titans:
1. Will Seattle's quarterback duo of Drew Lock and Jalen Milroe bounce back after underwhelming openers?
Putting up just seven points on the scoreboard to kick off exhibition season, there were far more hands in the cookie jar of offensive dysfunction for the Seahawks than just Lock and Milroe, who each completed north of 60% of their passes but failed to generate much yardage with their passing opportunities, combining to average a dismal 3.6 yards per attempt against the Cowboys. As subs started to rotate into the lineup, the offensive line progressively got worse as the game wore on with the third-team unit allowing consistent pressure on both quarterbacks, including Milroe getting sacked twice in the second half. Penalties also proved to be a major issue, including reserve tackle Logan Brown being flagged twice for crucial fourth down holding penalties.
Leo Rivas Walks Off Cubs, Gives M’s Homestand Jolt
It’s the kind of thing that engenders legitimate hope in a team so downtrodden, but it’s the kind of thing fringe Mariners role players have done for decades in ultimately sour-ending seasons.
Regardless of the view from 30,000 feet, it was a magical moment for those celebrating within a three-foot radius of Leo Rivas in the bottom of the 10th on Friday night.
The game had been a back-and-forth affair between the M’s and Cubs, two teams with high expectations going into 2026 but only one of whom had performed up to snuff. At times, Seattle looked like the team they had constructed on paper, with Brendan Donovan and Cal Raleigh both producing runs. At others, the Cubs ambushed mistake pitches from multiple Mariners pitchers, and it had gone to extras before Seattle triumphed 6-5.
Emerson Hancock recovered from early struggles to put together almost six innings.
During the first half of the season, Mariners starting pitching had the sixth best ERA, fifth best StatCast expected ERA (xERA [1]), best fielding independent pitching (FIP [2]) and third best expected FIP (xFIP [3]) of any rotation in baseball.
In the second half, however, Seattle’s starters have had the seventh worst ERA, fourth worst FIP, and ninth worst xFIP. Their xERA ranking of 10th best since the break is small consolation with their struggles spanning all the non-StatCast metrics. They went from a league-best 11.0 starting pitcher FanGraphs WAR (fWAR) pre-break to a second-to-last 0.5 fWAR post-break.
Bigger Roles, Bigger Stat Lines: 2 Kraken Set to Break Out This Season
The NHL preseason is still a month away. Seattle Kraken news is slow as we enter the dog days of summer and the NHL offseason, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel with hockey not being that far away from returning, as camp opens in September.
Let’s take a look at the Kraken roster as it stands today and discuss two breakout candidates. When naming a “breakout” candidate, this does not necessarily mean they are going to compete for the Hart Trophy. It means that they could be poised to take another step in their development and even put together career years.
Ryker Evans, D
Evans is a 24-year-old left-shot defenseman, selected 35th overall by the Kraken in the 2021 NHL Draft. It has been a slow burn for Evans since then, rising through the ranks of the WHL and AHL, earning his stripes in Regina and then Coachella Valley. Over the last two seasons, he finally set himself into the main rotation of blue liners in Seattle, playing in 73 games in 2024-25 and 67 last season for the Kraken.
Mariners’ Anderson Callup Covers Woo, Lockout Uncertainties
There’s a southpaw down in Double-A with a 1.06 ERA, 1.78 FIP, 0.643 WHIP, 40.5% strikeout rate, and 3.9% walk rate.
His name is Kade Anderson, and he’s either the no. 1 or no. 2 prospect in the Mariners system, depending on who you ask. Even adjusted for Arkansas’ very pitcher-friendly stadium, he has a 413 ERA+ and 246 FIP+, both where 100 is league average and higher is better.
Anderson has perhaps been big-league ready for months at this point, but the Mariners brass has so far kept him pitching for the Double-A Arkansas Travelers. But on Thursday, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the prospect would be headed up to the majors to pitch on Saturday instead of Bryan Woo.
Despite - or perhaps because of - the Mariners’ dire position in the standings, the team evidently decided to bring him onto the major league club. The decision may have negative consequences down the road should the impending lockout extend into 2027 (especially if it nixes the whole season), but the move does fit with the way the M’s have operated in 2026: that is, wait a long time to make a decision but ultimately try to nudge things towards winning, even if that nudging can be more than a little halfhearted and much less than enough to turn it around.
Analysis: Where Mariners’ Farm System Ranks and What Comes Next
As the Mariners attempt to claw their way back into playoff contention, it can be easy to focus on the letdowns of the major league club. The organization has plenty of other reasons to be optimistic, with a talent-rich farm system that would be the envy of most teams.
When Seattle traded Luis Castillo to the Chicago White Sox, it was initially billed as a salary dump and a way to reduce the logjam of starters in the rotation. The Mariners acquired Seranthony Domínguez, who slots in as a middle-relief option. Seattle also received prospect Boston Smith, who has been mashing with six home runs in his first 11 games. The catcher adds to an already impressive minor league system.
Gonzaga Women's Soccer Can't Punch Back in Contentious Match, Falls 2-1 to Arizona
After Oregon handed them their first loss in a 3-0 result Sunday, Gonzaga women’s soccer (1-2) couldn’t rebound upon returning home to Luger Field.
Although they struck first against Arizona (2-1) on Thursday evening, the Zags made several lapses they couldn’t recover from, even with ample opportunity.
The first half transpired fairly briskly, as the flow between the two sides was initially smooth. But after halftime, there were more interruptions, leading to increased physicality and tension. And unfortunately for GU, it didn’t have much to show for it during the final 45 minutes, resulting in a frustrating loss for the Bulldogs.
Has Separation Season Arrived for Montorie Foster Jr. Entering Seahawks’ Joint Practice vs. Titans?
Turning heads since the start of training camp and becoming one of the stars of HBO’s Hard Knocks, Montorie Foster Jr. has evolved from a feel-good story to a legit threat to earn a spot on the Seahawks 53-man roster.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Corbin Smith discusses how the former Michigan State standout has kept stacking quality days on the practice field and how he could create the last push of separation at a crowded receiver position needed to secure a spot on the 53 with a strong showing against the Titans in Nashville in the upcoming Friday joint practice and Sunday’s second preseason game.
Mariners Survive Brewers, Gain Ground in Wild Card Race
Seattle came limping into Milwaukee after getting pummeled 22-0 the night before, looking to exorcise some demons against the Brewers on Wednesday night. Facing former top prospect Dustin May, the Mariners got the bats going early, plating four runs in the first inning before ultimately winning 7-5.
Current Cy Young candidate Logan Gilbert, emboldened by an early lead, battled through five innings before being pulled in the sixth. Likely two batters too late.
As has been the case all season, Dan Wilson made another questionable decision that nearly cost his team the game. But his players persevered, allowing Seattle to gain considerable ground in the wild-card race.
Did Seattle have a great offensive performance? Absolutely. Were they simultaneously incredibly lucky? Unequivocally. That’s a luxury not often enjoyed by this team as it tries to turn its season around.
WATCH: Sounders, Reign Drop Midweek Matches; Rave Green Lose Eighth Straight
The Seattle Sounders and Seattle Reign both lost 2-1 on Wednesday, with the Sounders falling to MLS foe Austin FC at Lumen Field and the Reign losing to NWSL side Racing Louisville on the road.
The Sounders (7-9-3) dropped their franchise-record eighth MLS game in a row, falling to 12th in the Western Conference. Though young center back Stuart Hawkins scored late, the Rave Green were unable to cope with a rotated Austin team focused on its Leagues Cup run despite narrowly winning the expected-goal battle and outshooting the visitors.
Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer backed the effort his injury-riddled team is putting in during this streak, but watched as All-Star center back Jackson Ragen exited the game early with a hyperextended knee. Schmetzer clarified that Ragen’s removal was precautionary.
At any rate, Seattle is now missing Cristian Roldan, Pedro de la Vega, Yeimar, Paul Arriola, Ragen, Jesus Ferreira and Jordan Morris with a trip to FC Cincinnati looming on Saturday. Cristian Roldan and Morris could make a return by that fixture.
As for the Reign (8-8-3), Wednesday marked another lost lead as Seattle couldn’t defend the advantage generated by leading scorer Maddie Mercado’s (seven goals in 2026) early goal. Instead, Louisville’s USWNT team star Emma Sears ran riot for a brace, scoring two goals against the run of play as Laura Harvey’s squad failed to deliver on a large xG night for the second game in a row.
The Reign, who suffered just their second loss since the June World Cup break, will also play again on Saturday as they head to defending Shield-winning Kansas City.
WATCH: Gonzaga Bulldogs’ Roster Crystallizes After Several Transfer Portal Additions
Three experienced transfers are officially heading to Spokane: “5-in-5” transfers Javon Bennett and Chauncey Wiggins, and Skylar Wicks, who earned an eligibility waiver from the NCAA.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Howard Woodard analyzes Gonzaga’s newest roster additions and other pending options as the Zags' 2026-27 personnel nears completion.
Huskies Receiver Christian Moss’ Long Road Leads to Starting Job at Washington
Christian Moss’ trip to the University of Washington began with the hiring of an attorney.
A common part of one’s journey in modern college football, Moss and his lawyer, Darren Heitner, appealed a decision by the NCAA to deny Moss an extra season of eligibility after he missed all of 2023 with a hand injury. He won, and Huskies receivers coach Kevin Cummings wasted no time convincing the 6-3, 205-pound X receiver to take a trip from Atlanta to Seattle after the injury waiver was granted.
“Literally an hour into me getting it, I got the call from KC and set up a visit, and everything just worked out,” Moss said. “… Coach Fisch has a lot of good people in the building and the vision. They have a really good quarterback coming back, so it just felt like home as soon as I got on campus.”
“It Just Got Out of Hand”: Mariners Suffer Most Lopsided Loss - 22-0 - in Team History
With one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, Christian Yelich sent a routine fly ball to Julio Rodríguez. The Mariners center fielder caught it for an out and Andrew Vaughn trotted home for a Brewers run. Simple, right? Like someone opening their front door to go out for another day of work, just as they have innumerable times before and just as they will countless times after.
It is only when zooming out that a picture of utter mayhem, calamity, and chaos comes into view. That was the 20th run the Brewers scored on Monday. That was Yelich’s second at-bat of the inning and the 11th batter that infielder Leo Rivas faced in his one-inning, nine-run pitching stint. Rodríguez was so checked out that, seemingly thinking there were already two outs, he tossed the ball into the crowd - an action that awarded each runner two bases and thus scored Jonathan Ornelas from second while moving William Contreras to third.
Luis Lara, who had earlier in the inning logged his first major-league home run to make it “only” 16-0, capped off the rout with a run-scoring single. Garrett Mitchell logged a merciful third out to end the eighth and conclude the beating of a horse that was barely even skeletal by that point.
The final score was 22-0.
The good news for Seattle is that whether by a gulf of 22 runs or one, all losses count the same. The merciless beatdown may have counted for two and a half losses on their Pythagorean record, but their actual record only went from 59-66 to 59-67. They need to win both remaining games of the series, but they’re somehow still in this.
That doesn’t make such a putrid loss any less embarrassing. What’s perhaps more surprising is that there was a time when this game was close.
Season Preview: Meet Kirby Moore, Cougars New-Look Coaching Staff
As fall camp rolls along, Emerald City Spectrum is giving you the rundown on what you need to know before the Washington State Cougars open the 2026 season against Washington in the annual Apple Cup.
Washington State enters the season with a completely new coaching staff at the top, led by first-year head coach Kirby Moore. Moore has also brought in Matt Miller to run the offense and Trent Bray to lead the defense.
While all three coaches bring different backgrounds and coaching experiences to Pullman, they share one common goal: getting Washington State ready to compete in the new-look Pac-12.
Here is a look at the three men calling the shots for the Cougars in 2026:
Kirby Moore, Head Coach
Kirby Moore enters his first season as Washington State’s head coach, but he is far from new to college football.
A native of Prosser, Washington, Moore grew up around football. His father, Tom Moore, was a longtime high school coach at Prosser, where Kirby played before eventually joining his older brother, Kellen Moore, at Boise State.
Moore played wide receiver for the Broncos from 2009-13, helping Boise State post a 45-8 record during his career. He finished with 115 receptions for 1,137 yards and six touchdowns. After his playing career ended, he quickly moved into coaching.
'Everything's On the Table:' Sounders' Schmetzer May Need Some Outside Help
Brian Schmetzer seemed a tad impatient.
After a 2-0 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday, the longtime Seattle Sounders coach fielded many of the same questions he has been dealt over the franchise-worst seven-game MLS losing streak his team is enduring. Themes varied from a stagnant attack that has posted 20 goals in 18 games to the concession of a late indirect free kick that rubbed salt in the wound. And of course, Schmetzer was asked whether he needs help during this current summer transfer window from GM Craig Waibel and majority owner Adrian Hanauer.
Schmetzer, ever the company man with his ties to the Sounders dating back to the 80s, has typically stood pat on those questions.
On Sunday, he began to crack.
"As far as Craig and Adrian and feeling pressure, yeah, they feel it," Schmetzer said. "I don't need to say anything."
He then went on to challenge the media present at Tuesday's training session ahead of Wednesday’s duel with Austin FC on the topic. When asked whether he was surprised at the lack of summer signings, Schmetzer said, "Maybe stuff hasn't been leaked out yet. Maybe you guys aren't doing your job. So maybe you guys need to dig a little deeper."
The team at Sounder at Heart has reported on talks the Sounders have been in with prospects like Danish striker Casper Tengstedt, but so far there hasn't been a particular move that's come close to fruition. Whether Schmetzer was bluffing or hinting at a future present for his lineup on his Tuesday birthday remains to be seen.
For now, Jeremiah Oshan of Sounder at Heart shared on Bluesky that his sources within the team confirmed "we are close" on some kind of move, so Schmetzer may actually be hinting something soon.
Top 10 Huskies’ Freshmen Poised to Make Impact in 2026
The Washington Huskies’ football program has a long history of playing true freshmen who impact winning on the field. Bringing in coach Jedd Fisch’s best recruiting class - and the best in school history (No. 12) - the Huskies have quite a few freshmen who project to get significant playing time this year.
Fisch preaches that he wants players playing as soon as they are ready regardless of class, stating, “If we make a commitment to go get a great player in high school, why would we not expect to play that player?”
Developing young players is important, but Fisch believes the best path toward development is live-game reps.
“There is too much to learn. We are such a young team... we have to look at the tape and teach off of it... we have to keep learning,” Fisch said.
In 2024, Decker DeGraaf was thrust into a starting role after multiple injuries to the tight end room. His insertion into the starting lineup paid immediate dividends, as his play resulted in him being named a Freshman All-American.
The following year, Texas native John Mills won the starting left guard job over a sophomore blue-chip prospect in Paki Finau. Choosing the freshman again proved to be the right call, as Mills earned Freshman All-American honors as well.
Will the Huskies have a third straight Freshman All-American? Who else might start in their first year?
Mariners’ Gutsy Series Win Offers Team Last Lifeline for 2026 Season
When Andrés Muñoz got Taylor Trammell to chase a changeup for strike three on Sunday, he yelled with a ferocity rarely seen even from a man called “Señor Smoke”.
It was an angry, happy catharsis. Had he made slightly better pitches to Jose Altuve or Daulton Varsho two days prior, the Mariners would have swept the Astros and put some real heat on the once and future AL West champions; they would have been two games back of their rivals with the tiebreaker long since clinched.
Instead, the M’s are four games back with 37 left to play. But there’s no use crying over spilt milk, and Muñoz made sure to redeem himself in the bottom of the ninth in the Houston rubber match.
“To be honest with you, that - especially here - hurts a lot when those things happen, because you feel like you let the team down,” Muñoz said. “But I’ve been through these situations a lot, and I’m able to just flush those things easier, especially with the outing that I had.”
Getting to that one-run lead wasn’t as simple as it might have been based on the way the M’s offense had been playing earlier in the series. Unlike the first two contests, when the team got it done with runners on, it was a return to regular programming on Sunday night as they went 1-11 with runners in scoring position.
The M’s, regardless, logged a badly-needed 3-2 win.
Cal Raleigh recorded the mother of all Crawford Box jobs in the sixth, a much-needed stroke of luck.
The winning run on Sunday was a 327-foot fly ball that left the bat at a 45-degree angle. Since the beginning of the StatCast era in 2015, there have been 57 such batted balls - and Raleigh’s was just the second to become a hit (the first was this Yandy Díaz deep fly in a minor league stadium).
Stock Watch: Who’s Hot, Who’s Not After Seahawks’ 17-7 Preseason Loss to Cowboys
As coach Mike Macdonald loves to say, the Seattle Seahawks value the process over the result, particularly in the preseason, but Saturday’s exhibition opener certainly didn’t live up to usual expectations in a sloppy 17-7 loss to the Dallas Cowboys at Lumen Field.
“Any time you line up in anything competitively, we’re trying to win, but right now our process needs to improve,” Macdonald said in his opening statement after the defeat. “That’s really the biggest takeaway really in both phases, on offense and defense. Our operation is not up to par, and how we’re finishing plays is not up to par. That will be a focus moving forward, but it’s good to know.”
Looking back at Saturday’s loss, which players improved their stock the most? And which ones failed to make the most of the first dress rehearsal gearing up for the regular season?
STOCK UP
Montorie Foster Jr.
Continuing a fantastic summer thus far, Foster capped off Seattle’s lone scoring drive on the opening possession reeling in a screamer from Drew Lock on a dig route for a five-yard touchdown, turning out of his break with the fastball already halfway to him as it rocketed just over the outstretched hand of a linebacker dropping in coverage. While he did have a bad drop in the fourth quarter, he quickly amended for that mistake two plays later on third down, snatching a first down reception coming back to the football on a curl route to move the chains and showing his mettle overcoming in-game adversity. He finished the night with a team-high five catches for 36 yards and those numbers could have been dramatically better if Lock would not have overthrown a potential 65-yard touchdown where the second-year wideout had come wide open down the left sideline.
Analysis: Two Non-Shane Wright Trades for Kraken to Explore
All offseason, Seattle Kraken fans have heard about a possible trade that would ship young center Shane Wright out of town. Reports came out earlier in the offseason that the Kraken and Wright were on the same page in moving forward with trading the former No. 4 overall pick.
However, rumors have stalled. As of now, Wright still remains on the roster. A trade does not feel like a guarantee.
Even still, Jason Botterill and company can upgrade the roster elsewhere. The Kraken have the second-most cap space in the NHL, according to PuckPedia.com. They have the resources to acquire a player with a sizable paycheck to make a difference on the roster.
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