> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Are Sounders Legitimate MLS Cup Contenders? - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/seattle-sounders-legimitate-mls-cup-contenders/ - Published: 2025-08-14T00:55:02.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T06:18:50.000Z - Author: Qasim Ali - Tags: Analysis, Sounders, Pedro de la Vega, Andrew Thomas, Danny Musovski \[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="2048"\] ![ The Seattle Sounders celebrate a goal during a game against the LA Galaxy on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif. (Jen Flores / Sounders FC Communications) ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/54713299408_28f12cefda_k-format-original.jpg) The Seattle Sounders celebrate a goal during a game against the LA Galaxy on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif. (Jen Flores / Sounders FC Communications) \[/caption\] The Seattle Sounders haven't lost a game since mid-June. As has been the case for many teams led by longtime skipper Brian Schmetzer, Seattle has only gotten better as the season has gone on. With Pedro de la Vega finding a dynamic home on the left wing and the Sounders offense roaring to life altogether, this is a far cry from the team that fell 4-0 to LAFC in May. [The folks at MLS.com](https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/power-rankings-seattle-sounders-orlando-city-leap-into-top-five?ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com) have ranked Seattle at No. 5 in the league on account of its 3-0-0 result in the Leagues Cup group stage. That ranking in front of Western Conference foes like No. 9 Vancouver and No. 11 Minnesota, the latter of which Seattle will face on Saturday night. Which begs the question: Can Seattle outdo its Western Conference Final appearance from last season with this renewed form? ### What's Working: A Whole Lot of Goals Schmetzer credited his team's offense after a 4-0 blowout of the LA Galaxy on Sunday night. He quoted 26 goals in the club's last eight games - a stat far exceeding Seattle's 1.64 goals per game in MLS play this season. Sure, seven of those 26 came in Seattle's all-time rout of Cruz Azul, but the point stands. Seattle is scoring from all over the attacking third and consistently generating opportunities. Just look at the two expected goals per game Seattle is earning over its last seven MLS fixtures; Seattle has been as aggressive as any side in the league. Whenever Schmetzer is asked about games in which his team strays offside more than a few times, he dismisses the prompt altogether as the question is antithetical to what his staff is preaching on that end: to make opportunistic runs for the full 90\. Reserve striker Danny Musovski, who has scored five goals in the last 10 games, attributed the team’s strong run to intense training. "Trainings are at a very high level, very sharp, and I feel like that translates to games," Musovski said after Sunday's win. "Every position, from front to bottom, everybody is playing at a very high level right now." With the talent Seattle has in its midfield and backline, defense is always going to be what this side hangs its hat on and it certainly lends itself to some of the counterattack goals the Rave Green has found. But with the advent of potential stars like Pedro de la Vega on the wing, and Musovski leading the charge at striker, Seattle is threatening to become a two-way nightmare. ### What's Working: Depth With headliners like Cristian Roldan and Obed Vargas, who are each playing their best soccer right now, lining the midfield, some MLS fans haven’t noticed how deep this Seattle side is. For one, Seattle's "next man up" mentality has carried it through one of the rougher injury patches of any MLS side this season. Danny Musovski has five goals in Seattle's 10-game unbeaten run in relief of star striker Jordan Morris, while first-year Sounder Jesús Ferreira has proven to be a Swiss Army Knife in filling in for top goal-scorer Albert Rusnák in his usual attacking mid spot. "I don't know if anyone can replace Albert, but Jesús had a really good shift in Albert's position," Schmetzer said. "It provides me with cover. When (Sounders General Manager) Craig (Waibel) signed Jesús and he didn't start off well, there were a lot of fans that were like 'oh well, bad signing,' or whatever. But Craig's right, Jesús has been a good signing." Paul Rothrock has been flexible in switching to the right side as Pedro de la Vega has stunned on the left wing and had some monster offensive plays to lift Seattle over LA on Sunday. Meanwhile, Alex Roldan has consistently provided strong service off the bench and starting at times. Jackson Ragen and Kim Kee-hee have also provided optionality in the backline for Schmetzer through a congested two months of games. Danny Leyva has been solid in the midfield off the bench and delivered a man-of-the-match performance in the Leagues Cup, while Osaze De Rosario has completely broken out in his first MLS season - tallying three goals in his last 10 caps. Georgi Minoungou's minutes have been sparse, but his golazo against Santos Laguna reminded fans of his explosiveness off the bench. With 18-year old Snyder Brunell notching his first goal on Sunday, Schmetzer reiterated his belief in every part of the roster. "Some national writer talked about how (Waibel) did a great job because we have the deepest team in MLS, I happen to believe that. … You can never go from one end of an MLS season to the other without adversity, injuries, things happen. You must have in your pipeline, on your bench, guys that can come in and do the business, and we have that," Schmetzer said. At the one, Andrew Thomas has been solid in relief of Stefan Frei. In seven MLS appearances, Thomas has dealt with 5.6 shots on target to Frei's 2.6, but has kept his save percentage at 72 percent to Frei's 73 percent. LA had around half an expected goal on Sunday night, but Schmetzer credited Thomas' "timely saves" for Seattle keeping a goose egg on the board. Schmetzer said he’ll make “the best decision (he) can for the club” when asked about choosing a keeper for the rest of the season. "He's a talented goalkeeper. He's already proven he can be a starter in this league, so we're lucky to have him," Schmetzer said of Thomas. ### Slight Defensive Questions In Seattle's scoring flurry and with Thomas in the goal, opposing squads have gotten plenty of opportunities to score themselves. Seattle is giving up over two goals per 90 minutes with Thomas compared to just over one per MLS game with Frei - and that previous doubling of shots on target tells the story. A near collapse against Kansas City and a full collapse against Colorado saw Seattle give up five combined goals in mid-July. While the Sounders have posted three clean sheets since the Club World Cup, they aren't fully holding up to their high defensive standard in this winning streak. Seattle has allowed 12 goals in the 10-game streak, though, which is right on pace with its top-10 standard as Schmetzer's crew always finds a way to hit its marks. But as we'll discuss shortly, Seattle may need to elevate its play on the defensive end when considering the kind of stoppers that bolster other contenders. ### The Rest of the League Seattle will get a great look at a solid side on Saturday night when it takes on Minnesota on the road. A No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, Minnesota beat the Sounders 3-2 at the beginning of June. Despite Seattle likely getting back dynamic pieces like Morris, João Paolo and Rusnák for the playoff run, the rest of the league has loaded up. Former Tottenham star Son Heung-Min played his first game for LAFC just days ago while Vancouver, the No. 1 seed in the west, which beat Seattle 3-0 in June for its last MLS loss, acquired Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller earlier this month. Inter Miami, the biggest money-maker for the MLS with the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba, signed Atletico Madrid midfielder Rodrigo De Paul as Miami sits in sixth out east with the top scoring offense. Philadelphia Union hasn't made any such acquisitions, but continues to run the east alongside FC Cincinnati and Nashville. Philadelphia's defense stands out from the competition, led by All-Stars Jakob Glesnes and Kai Wagner. If Seattle finds itself in a high-stakes playoff match with Philadelphia or Vancouver, each of whom is allowing one or fewer goals per game, it will need a standout performance from its own top-10 defense. As the weather cools, defense will prevail when the games matter magnitudes more. ### Where Does Seattle Go From Here? There are still two months of tough matchups against Miami, Minnesota and Vancouver to play, but Seattle is in as good a form as it has been this year. With four straight wins and a chance to bring home hardware in the Leagues Cup, the Sounders have a chance to ride a momentous summer into the stretch run. But defensive stability will need to prove consistent if Seattle hopes to ward off a league full of stars. Thomas has been great, but with Frei back in shape, Schmetzer will need to determine whether the experience and rapport his veteran has with his defense is more valuable than preparing his heir apparent. In the backline, things are starting to take shape - Seattle has allowed two goals in its last four games. Nouhou is back to starting after a weird stretch of internal discipline in July following his Kansas City outburst and Yeimar looks as good as ever at centerback. With all these factors in mind, including injuries, depth, defense and the offensive explosion, Seattle has everything it needs to top the MLS in 2025\. If this offensive renaissance can last in some capacity through the fall, the Sounders will be talked about alongside Philadelphia's and Vancouver's as real contenders. Seattle will get another chance to prove itself to the league against Minnesota on Saturday night. “The team’s hungry enough, I don’t think their heads are gonna get out of whack because they’ve gone on a good run of form. I think the group is too experienced,” Schmetzer said after Wednesday’s practice. “They’re getting some accolades from local and national media, but it’s a grounded group.”