Love to see Sounders just being more efficient with their attacking moves this year. All four MLS games in 2026 under 5 passes per shot. That happened just a few times last year.

Tino > Timo

😃

Buckling up for the Bruce Arena Experience against a rotated Sounders lineup. Could get weird! (Team Tendency Model Percentiles via @futi.live )

I’m really interested to see Petković get real minutes. Last time Sounders faced SJ while juggling CCC it was going great until it wasn’t. (Shudder.) Need to minimize the chaos today.

Among SuperDraft picks from the last 10 years curiously Danny Musovski's 2025 for Sounders tops the list for goal contributions in a single season in Major League Soccer play. Brian White's 25 all comps goals in 2025 looks like the best offensive season overall from that same cohort.

I enjoyed many things from last night’s shellacking in Vancouver but perhaps the most important development has been unfussy set piece defending. Imagine if this team was consistently delivering on both sides of dead ball situations (which they get a lot of). Really positive signs so far…

Sounders locked in and really took advantage of the Cubas suspension tonight. They were up for it while Berhalter earned his worst FotMob rating as a starter of the last year. Kinda felt like it could be the start of something.

Just thee league games so far but Vancouver have been extra parsimonious on defense in 2026, even compared to 2025 when they were near league best. They’ve allowed just one goal in the first five games all comps. Sounders have got a task ahead of them in CCC.

Credit to St Louis City for actually trying to go Mano y Mano with Sounders on a soccer basis as so few teams are willing to do. Minimal stoppages, the “ball in play” time has to be outlier high. Paul Arriola holding it together late was massive.

Huge respect to USL players seeking a CBA that provides for protections (like health insurance) that should have been in place decades ago. Not sure the in-stadium DJ in Lexington got the message.

Totally chuffed to have an opportunity to do some weekly data storytelling with resources like g+ from @americansocceranalysis.com and Team Tendencies via @futi.live. This week we look at how RSL operated and how one change in offensive positioning ended up as a double-edged sword.

GAMsmas week is always a wistful time for the fam. Giddily waking up to finally know how much money your club frustratingly won't spend on a flashy international U22, someone who'd be doomed to failure from the start anyway with the weight of your unreasonable expectation. Season's Greetings!

Some look to Punxsutawney Phil. I prefer the first Face of the Week to herald the new season as truly begun

Absolutely love to hear Schmetz insist we scored 3 tonight.

ARE YOU WATCHING POCH?!

absolutely absurd decision

This came home to roost day one for Dayne.

Adding some color to the fun MLS rivalries conversation on the fantastic new Backpost Runners pod via @sounderatheart.com, Gio Savarese shared his own thoughts on the Cascadia rivalry with the @soccercooligans.com and recalls his worst loss to Sounders.

Perpetual Candidate for MVP: Most Venerable Person

There is a lovely symbiosis between @backheeled.com @mattdoyle.bsky.social's Tactics Free Zone, ASA, and the individual team blogs like @sounderatheart.com and @burgundywave.bsky.social going on that feels very fun in an age when the league and media have decided on no real MLS coverage.

Wild how lopsided play was from Sounders opponents in 2025 on a g+ basis. Even in a somewhat concerning defensive year Nouhou kept his area well patrolled. This is the argument for why Brian continues to stick with it.

For @sounderatheart.com I dove into @futi.live Team Tendencies and focused in on Sounders' signature tendency "Patient Possession," and how MLS, and the Western Conference in particular, has been more than edging in that same direction for a couple of seasons now.

Just one data point, but as of the moment in the @sounderatheart.com league for @fantasyutd.bsky.social Alex is the most expensive Defender and one of the most bid on players. IYKYK

We all cried bloody murder when Miami was allowed to creatively spread the fee schedule to their benefit with Atletico Madrid for Rodrigo de Paul. Tucked in here is apparently now Sounders have also creatively spread Obed’s fee schedule with Atletico to their benefit just six months later.

I'm going to choose to believe this Reed Baker-Whiting move in no small part comes from Inter Miami's continuing dark cloud over Nashville. They saw RBW could hang with Messi in a Final and said to themselves "we need exactly that." Winning a Final with the bench is still reverberating months later.

Reed’s Conundrum: listed as a midfielder on the roster but in actuality stuck on the wide back depth chart. This is the right move.

Latest @lobbingscorchers.com with @mls-zwazo.bsky.social yarning a tale of data was so so so fun. overcast.fm/+ABBxA9tRSU8

Apparently I wasn’t the only one thinking along these lines today!

I hadn't fully absorbed how bad Sounders Set Piece Defense was last year. In the WGCF "Set Piece" Build Up Categories only SKC were worse than Sounders in non-Penalty goals and xG/shot allowed. So I guess that's my main concern going into the 2026 MLS Season. Can't do that again!

Interested to see the duckdb talk. Been one of my core tools for a while now.

This Finishing XY tells the story of that Bo3 vs Loons for Sounders 🫠

Selfishly would love another year of Georgi torching MLS back lines. But also ready for Sounders to fully earn the “develop and sell” reputation. This is part of how you attract other young ambitious international players to come to Seattle and build a virtuous cycle.

Chris and his team put together a remarkable cultural document tonight featuring the actual voices and organizers living this conflict. Studs Terkel smiling down.

She was ready to scrap. Hero. A woman of the people.

Brian called out Nouhou’s captaincy of his national team in an early presser. If Nouhou is in fact moving into his “captain” era this might be fine. I will believe it when I see it.

oh my god dude www.reddit.com/r/Tacoma/s/O...

Thanks so much for voting to send Americans' hard-earned tax dollars to the agency that is currently in the streets of American cities terrorizing, kidnapping, assaulting and murdering us. I'm sure everyone appreciates your investment in the fascist brute squad. Great work.

“It’s not about power” says committee chairperson, in article full of chairpersons who won’t let go.

Was just reading about this the other day. We very much have an 1850s feel about America right now:

If calling a state secret police agent a murderer for committing murder will lead to more murder by the state secret police, it sure seems like the problem is with the secret police

The current moment is asking us to draw so many lines concerning the safety of our brothers and sisters on a personal level that we haven’t had to draw before. I never imagined old school propaganda and mob rule would be a feature of my adulthood. Alas, here we are. A necessary line to draw IMO.

Interesting to see the contrast of how Sounders have incorporated minutes management as a fact of life while Enzo has an ego about it. It’s definitely been a topic but it’s really just one of many constraints that an emphasis on having strong depth has provided answers to.

I mostly still listen to records end-to-end, and as far as that goes Scott Hirsch had my favorite of 2025. “When Things Fall Apart” was the song ringing through my head all year long. Very worth a deep dive into his catalog.

Looks like, as @sndrnvia.bsky.social had hoped, at the end of 2025 Sounders' Stefan Frei did overtake Nick Rimando for All Comps appearances for a single Major League Soccer team (not counting Friendlies).

🗣️ WE’VE GOT PAUL ROTHROCK ‼️

There were 5 college players (4 Superdraft) who started for Sounders vs Miami in Leagues Cup final and won. I’d say more of a long play than we typically think about with a u22 who you want to flip but your 2026 Superdraft could be a big factor in a 2030 trophy win if you play your cards right!

Put your foot on the Rock and pat your foot, Don't stop, put your foot on the Rock

In 2025 DSC succeeded while being protected by a regimented back five who was engaging in low-possession soccer. Going to be a whole different ball game next year playing in a high-possession system with way less protection.

I enjoyed this. I have fed the beast to be sure. On purely a soccer basis Paul proved to everyone he is a starter and it now seems he has to go elsewhere to realize that role. Sometimes it’s “just business.” Just feels like a mistake on so many fronts to let him go.