After a strong start, the Seattle Sounders enter Saturday evening’s visit to the last-place Philadelphia Union in Chester, Pa., desperate to course-correct after a pair of poor performances.
After Seattle (7-5-3, 24 points) opened the season with a 7-1-3 mark, it limped through back-to-back shutout losses to the LA Galaxy (2-0) and at Los Angeles FC (1-0) before the World Cup break.
Then came a 5-1 home loss to the Portland Timbers on July 16 – the Sounders’ worst-ever in a series dating back to the Pacific Northwest rivals’ days in the old NASL over 50 years ago – and a 3-1 loss at Austin FC on Wednesday, a match that saw Jackson Ragen sent off in second-half stoppage time after being shown a second yellow card.
Combined, that’s four straight defeats for Seattle, its longest-such streak since 2013.
“They’re down, they’re dejected, but … it’s a resilient group,” Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said. “They’re not going to quit. They’re not going to give up. We’ve got two more hard road games, but they’re not gonna stop fighting.”
Unlike the Sounders, the Union (2-10-4, 10 points) have struggled all season, but came back from the break with a 3-1 home victory over the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday.
That match marked the return of left-back Kai Wagner, the Union’s all-time assist leader, after a brief spell with English second-division club Birmingham City. Wagner’s assist on Neil Pierre’s 66th-minute goal was his 63rd in a Philadelphia uniform
“(He) helps create this environment and this culture that we want, this winning mentality,” Union interim head coach Ryan Richter said. “Because that’s how he is every single day (with) all the little habits he has and all the little things he does around the group to push that.”
Paul Rothrock was the lone scorer for Seattle against Austin, upping his team-high total to five goals.
Milan Iloski, Philadelphia’s leading scorer, scored his eighth of the season against New York.
–Field Level Media
