July 17-Psst. There’s a soccer team thriving in this town right now, competing at the championship level fans have come to expect. It has not lost a game since June 8, winning six of seven, with one draw four weeks ago. In fact, if you including three U.S. Open Cup games, it has lost only twice in its last 18 games. At one point, it appeared that the Sounders would miss the playoffs for the second time in three years, having won only once in their first seven attempts in 2024. But they weren’t paving the way for the rest of MLS to steamroll them; they were clearing their throats for the screaming announcement that they could just be the team to beat out west.

A casual fan would not notice this by merely looking at the standings. Seattle’s 2-0 victory over St. Louis City FC propelled the club to sixth place in the Western Conference, where it remains uncomfortably close to the 8 vs. 9 play-in match. But based on how the Sounders have played over the last two and a half months, they could be one of the league’s most feared teams once the elimination games begin. Is it the most fun type of soccer? Perhaps not in the classic sense. Seattle’s 32 goals are tied for 18th in the 29-team league. The Sounders have climbed the ladder thanks to their defense, conceding less goals (26) than all but two other teams.

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However, the fun element has increased in recent weeks. This club has demonstrated the ability to both score and defend goals. What’s the reason? If we’re going to start with a “psst,” let’s add one more: Psst: the Sounders may have the most underestimated tandem in MLS. On Wednesday, midfielder Albert Rusnák floated a beautiful cross to Jonathan Bell, who headed it past goalie Roman Bürki in the 49th minute to put Seattle ahead twice. Rusnák has three goals and six assists over his previous eight games. His 11 assists are tied for sixth in the MLS. And, though Bell has dunk-contest athleticism, he hasn’t been the second half of the tandem that has been as

That name is much more familiar. That name is Jordan Morris, the former World Cup representative who has been with the organization since 2016. On the season, the 29-year-old attacker has nine goals – and they have all come over his last 12 games. Morris didn’t slip one past the goalie Wednesday. He was, however, the closest player to St. Louis defender Tim Parker when he scored an own-goal in the 27th minute. Amazingly, St. Louis has scored an own-goal in all four of its games against the Sounders, all of which have resulted in Seattle victories.

But this piece isn’t about personal objectives. It’s about the Sounders dominating their opponents for over three months now. This franchise has set a benchmark for itself, and anything less than a championship seems like failure. I’m not sure if coach Brian Schmetzer would speak those words explicitly, and there have surely been plenty of reasons to celebrate outside of titles, but this is a squad that went to four MLS Cups between 2016 and 2020 and won twice. That’s where it wishes to return.

However, there are still ten games left on the schedule, one of which will take place on Saturday. The Sounders will host LAFC, which is theoretically second in the West but leads in points per game. The Sounders’ victory over St. Louis was critical in setting up this showdown, which is expected to draw more than the 30,032 who attended Wednesday’s game at Lumen Field. “This is a huge game for us.” We have only lost twice in 18 games. Schmetzer said, “That’s pretty darn good.” “We come out with a result on Saturday, and we are flying.”

Oh, they’re flying okay. Flying near the top of the standings and possibly on another deep playoff run. That’s what this franchise understands. The ascension may have been silent, but this team’s powers have never been hidden.