The deck was always going to be stacked against the Seattle Sounders. They were traveling to Mexico — where MLS teams virtually never win — and on short rest. To add to their challenge, they were missing several would-be starters, were playing at about 8,200 feet and facing the defending Concacaf Champions Cup winners.
But the degree to which they were dominated by Toluca FC was still jarring.
It wasn’t so much the 3–0 scoreline, it was that they should feel a bit lucky that it wasn’t significantly worse. In all my years covering the Sounders, I’m not sure I’ve ever felt they were more thoroughly outmatched than they were in this game.
As much as the seven-game losing streak that they are now enduring, it’s the degree to which they were outplayed that is leading to a sense of hopelessness.
What stood out so much about this performance in particular was how the sense that they were never really in the game started before kickoff and never really let up. While there were some changes — most notably Stefan Frei in goal — the lineup bore a shocking resemblance to every other one Brian Schmetzer has rolled out since returning from the World Cup break.
That’s somewhat out of necessity — the Sounders’ injury list somehow seems to grow every week — but it’s hard to imagine how things will change unless they actually … change.
Any pessimism about the lineup was almost immediately justified. Less than three minutes into the match, Toluca grabbed the lead when Jesús Gallardo was allowed a completely unmarked look at a header off a corner kick. Just like that, the Sounders were playing from behind.
Amazingly, they actually got to halftime still trailing just 1–0 and probably should have scored a goal themselves. But that was almost entirely the product of Frei having a real throwback performance and one brilliant pass from Jesús Ferreira. Through 45 minutes, Toluca had outshot the Sounders 20–1, out-possessed them 70–30, forced Frei into nine saves and registered four “big chances.” Even more remarkably, Toluca registered 30 touches inside the Sounders’ penalty area, while the Sounders touched the ball just twice in Toluca’s box.
The second half was a little better, but the scoreline predictably got worse. Despite Frei standing on his head to keep it 1–0 until the 64th minute, Toluca finally got an insurance goal when Helinho got an unmarked attempt off a rebound. They added another in stoppage time, again off a rebound.
In the end, the stats were even uglier. Toluca racked up a 39–4 shots advantage, generated 3.6 xG to the Sounders’ .3, and forced Frei to make 15 saves. The momentum chart painted a pretty stark picture:
While there’s no shame in losing under these circumstances, that doesn’t make it any easier to accept. The Sounders have now lost seven straight games, two more than they had ever lost in a row since entering MLS in 2009. This was the most extreme example, but in none of the five games they’ve played since returning from the World Cup break have they even looked like the better team for an extended period of the match.
Aside from the 5–1 loss to the Timbers in the first game back from the break, the Sounders have at least managed to compete. Even in this game, it felt like the problems were more about ability and execution than effort. Somehow, that seems to make this predicament feel worse.
Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer has been reduced to basically hoping for miracles.
“Am I concerned? Of course,” he said during the postgame press conference. “But look at the end of the day, could we have won the game? Maybe. The men’s hockey team in 1980 beat the Russians. And we beat Miami last year in the Leagues Cup final. We were the underdogs. So, things like that can happen.”
There is no sense that answers are looming on the horizon. The prospect of a meaningful signing arriving before the transfer window closes is feeling increasingly unlikely. Key players will eventually return from injury, but the Sounders are quickly digging the kind of hole that will not be easily escaped.
The Sounders have built something special, and with each result like this it feels like it is being slowly dismantled. It will not be repaired on hope alone.
