Being a San Jose fan has been a rollercoaster. Via Futi
Pretty wild to see Earthquakes defensive progression under Bruce. Felt like the rollercoaster nature of this team was a given. We’ll see how they hold up against LAFC. @futi.live model does a good job of showing the whiplash these last few years.
When Sounders needed goals Brian put Moose on first last night. Moose didn’t play at all last week when they needed just one goal.
Did Moose not play last week because this was the same center ref he went ballistic on in Leagues Cup last year?
The gaslighting from the ref last night was abominable. Phantom fouls, issuing a yellow card to the VICTIM of an assault, and then putting up six minutes added when we had just sat through five of a Tigres player laying on the floor because he needed a rest.
Concacaf is a clown show.
I’m pretty happy with how the Sounders played soccer today.
Tigres on the other hand have no honor and embarrassed themselves in both legs. They are truly the “that guy” of Concacaf.
The team with a mercurial Brazilian player that has a history of checking out big moments thinking about signing a *different* mercurial Brazilian player that has a history of checking out in big moments? What could go wrong!
The referee made zero effort to manage the game or admonish anyone and as a result Tigres just kept escalating. This was a complete opposite experience from the refereeing of Oshane Nation in the América/Nashville. I just want Sounders to be refereed consistently. It is not too much to ask.
Insane to look it up and this is Snyder Brunell’s 11th top flight start. Yeah brother!
vi continues to be relevant in 2026. IYKYK
I do think one of Snyder’s strengths is that he just never seems phased. Gonna need that tonight.
This guy is out here LinkedIn-posting through it. Actual pressure would have consigned him to the pundits desk already. Supporters are rightfully restless at seeing Colorado and Vancouver and San Diego make good coach choices and it making a huge impact from day one. Timbers could do that too!
Sounders are benefitting from both earned advantages and ‘circumstances’ in CCC:
- No R32 games
- Secured R8 home 2nd leg vs Tigres
- No game between R8 fixtures
- Tigres play 1st place Chivas Saturday
These are the ‘margins’ @jeremiah.sounderatheart.com loves to talk about. Gotta make it count.
In 7 all competition appearances in 2026 Paul Rothrock has 5 goals from 7 shots on target on just 9 total shots.
5 goals from 9 shots?!? That is golden boot level efficiency right there.
"We have Paul Rothrock" continues to manifest.
Antino Lopez with 3 clean sheets and good FotMob ratings to start the 2026 campaign.
Last year I wrote for @sounderatheart.com about how this Sounders superpower in Leagues Cup was the developmental players seizing their moment when given the opportunity. We’re seeing it again with Antino Lopez who’s contributing to clean sheets by playing within himself. 59/60 passing last night.
Big Judd Fan
I think Doug nails the situation and I sort of wonder whether in the moment the “perfect” player comment from Poch on Cristian Roldan was meant to emphasize exactly this aspect of his play.
Sounders & Earthquakes have 4 clean sheets to start the 2026 season and LAFC has 5 clean sheets. Hasn't been very predictive of future season success!
Four or more clean sheets in the first five games to start an MLS season was rarer than I thought per ASA (back to 2013). With the exception of the Crew who won MLS Cup in 2020 (and those five games spanned 7 months), none of the other teams on this list even made the playoffs... Weird!
What struck me about this move is the confidence. In a trophy window and about to go up against a Mexican Gigante minus a DP where you need super subs.
But I also very much saw this coming. From last September’s @nosaudietis.sounderatheart.com post-Leagues Cup question thread:
I too endorse Mogis-maxxing for the kids
This felt like an important gut check episode that covered so much ground and historical perspective.
Also Andrew Thomas was a college player but couldn’t be in the superdraft for some reason so Sounders picked him up on waivers… Sounders college player footprint is… uncommon.
Just matching up Wikipedia so Homegrowns no. For superdraft I’m not tying to the team that drafted them so they are counting for Sounders as does moose, or white for VAN. an approximate if imperfect college player min contribution measure, of course knowing the curious cases of wondo and kingston…
Thru 5 games just four percent of San Jose Earthquakes overall minutes have been played by a player with a Designated Player label. Conversely San Jose have the highest percent of minutes played by MLS SuperDraft players at 57 percent.
One interesting sub-theme to the MLS Western Conference being more competitive this year is those making it so are a number of 2DP/4U22 models and teams with relatively sparing DP minutes being logged overall. Bruce is getting so much juice from his squeeze.
If there is one thing I’ve learned is that if a project is struggling, adding a bunch of new trainees always helps, especially if they’re being paid and you’re not, and they’re the reason you’re not being paid
The relative home strength of everyone involved is what makes this competition compelling.
The reverse holds true too: 0 mx wins in five away chances vs MLS in 2025. 1 win in four chances in 2026 (PHI is worst team in MLS right now so doesn’t tell us a whole lot).
Seattle people
For all the gripes about Sounders ownership being cheap on player spending, the org having to reckon with the constraints of the possible spend has actually served them very well in the long run for maintaining a relatively high floor.
One thing this makes me think about is keeping the developmental pipeline relevant. How will young players find opportunities on first team if the gap to starter becomes too big or the cap allows GMs to simply ignore this group of players. What does MLS want its floor to look like?
Sounders’ goal scorers and assists tonight were were all from subs. Rothrock’s goal last Thursday was also as a sub. Kalani’s game winner at STLC was as a sub. Paulie had two goal contributions in gameday 1, also as a sub.
Inter Miami has been playing all three DP's the full 90 all season. I get the idea. But no Berterame synergy has emerged. And they looked tired when it mattered. After last year's Cup run Allende with zero goals feels like a scandal. Oops.
