SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC v. AUSTIN FC

“We are not as good of a squad as we were last season with Vargas, Leyva, and Bell gone. The top players in our squad are ageing. Our Manager insists on running out our players over and over again until they break down. We spent €0 on transfers in the offseason. We seem to be on a collision course with mediocrity, with no one in ownership and management even remotely aware of the scope of the problem. I hope I’m wrong about this, I really do, but I sincerely doubt it. All that’s left is to hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”

– Charles Therrell, for West Sound of Mind Season Preview & Predictions, written on 14 February 2026.

Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Green. Austin FC make the journey to The Evergreen to face our Boys in Green. 16 league matches left to go in the season. Yeahhhh, we’re gonna need some of those points if we’re lookin' to contest MLS Cup this Fall.

What: MLS league match, Seattle Sounders FC v. Austin FC.

Where: Royal Brougham Park, Occidental Avenue, Seattle, Washington.

When: 6:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, Wednesday 19 August 2026 CE.

At Stake: Points in the league to address the hope of qualifying for MLS Cup. An attempt to re-claim some of our lost pride and trying not to fall further than the 19th position we currently occupy in the MLS league table. We are currently 7-3-8 on 24 points, 19 points adrift of leaders Nashville.

Where to Watch: Apple TV. I’ve got nothin’ against Sacha Kljestan (former midfielder for LA Galaxy, Orlando, Red Donkeys, Anderlecht, and Chivas USA) and Evan Weston (Orlando City radio play-by-play man), but I’ll have the KJR simulcast using the alternate audio settings in the Apple TV control layer. I am grateful to Apple TV for the option.

Where to Listen: KJR 93.3 FM and El Rey 1360 AM.

Oh it’s bad alright. 1-0-9 in our last ten. We’re averaging less than a goal per match and conceding more than two goals per match over that stretch. Other than some bright spots from our youngers, there’s not much to smile about.

With all that said, I still believe in this team. Regardless of who is injured, or who is in the team. Every time the lads get set to kick-off, I know in my heart they have a chance to win.

As far as the facts, and statistics, and trends, I can’t ignore them if I’m going to try and objectively cover the Sounders. That often puts me at odds with meself. I’m a true believer in my heart, but in my head, it is difficult to not scrutinise the data and details and the weight of having to draw unpleasant conclusions from it.

If you’re a proper fan, or better yet a supporter, you don’t get to pick and choose only the good moments in the history of your club to turn up. You must give the same care during shite and mediocre times as you do during the best of times.

The trophy raisings, championship banners being raised to the rafters, our star players remembered and honoured.

Recall the Memories or study the history of the Sounders through all its iterations, NASL, APSL, A-League, USL, and finally MLS.

I have never been so confused as a Sounders fan, or as a writer covering them. We’re world-beaters at the beginning of the season, 10-3-2 in all competitions from 22 February - 13 May. Then I’m absolutely gobsmacked as we plummeted going 1-0-9 from 16 May ’til now. Which team are we? I couldna even say.

Our lads are trapped under the weight of heavy expectations and the ruins of the last three months of heart-breaking results. They’re tryna tunnel out of it. They could use a bit of chuffing up. That’s where we come in. Get ye to the ground if you have the means. Link up with ours. Support the lads with whatever you don’t need for life support. Make a noisy racket such as never been heard before. Sing, chant, yell, plead, and whatever else you can think of within the bounds of good form and reason. For those who can’t manage attendance at the ground, we must watch ours battle it out on the telly screen. Give every bit of psychic energy not required for life support, because the lads are stumblin’ yeh. Let’s give them a hand up and a clout on the back, and yell “That’s alright, lads! You’re alright! GO ON!!!” I’ll certainly be yelling those things on my sofa, much to the vexation of my downstairs neighbour.

It’s MLS league football, under the midweek lights at Royal Brougham Park. GO ON YOU SOUNDERS!!! GET IN!!!

Before kick-off, please join me in the auld toast: “TO THE SEATTLE SOUNDERS FOOTBALL CLUB…AND VICTORY!!!”

Promising young talent sold off (Baker-Whiting, Atencio, Minoungou, Leyva, Vargas),

our brightest stars never truly replaced (Montero, Martins, Dempsey, Alonso, Zakuani, Yedlin, Ruidiaz, Lodeiro, Victor Rodriguez, Joao Paulo, Joevin Jones, Brad Smith, Leerdam, Roman Torres). Got to ask yourself what ownership (majority owner Adrian Hanauer depicted here) and management are doing with their time at Longacres.

The Good News

Mark Bronnik hit his 9th and 10th goals for the Sounders FC Reserves at LAFC 2 on Sunday. Maybe it’s time to give him a run-out at centre-forward for the senior team.

In the absence of our injured players, our young players are getting valuable minutes and experience. The more they play, the more they develop. This will pay dividends down the line. Kossa-Rienzi, Lopez, Hawkins, Gomez, Kingston, and De Rosario are showing us some reasonably good performances. I believe if we continue to show faith in them, and manage to avoid selling them, the winning will come. The present scenario for us is grim, but perhaps there is hope for the future.

Playing at Royal Brougham Park always gives us a chance to win. ECS and its subgroups are the vanguard of the best support in the league. We may have a losing record overall in the league, but we still have a winning record at home (6-1-4, add a win if you’re counting Spokane).

Our defence is still playing at a reasonable level at 1.32 goals conceded/match in all competitions. Our league defensive record is still good enough for fourth-best in the league. In stark contrast, the Austin are bleeding goals at a rate of 1.78/match in all competitions.

In five league matches all-time when hosting Austin, we have only lost once (2-2-1). The Austin have struggled on the road, and have yet to claim a win away from the McKalla Place ground (0-3-8, in all competitions). All-time in the league overall against Austin, we’ve only been defeated three times in 11 matches (5-3-3).

Austin have struggled in the league of late, managing only a single victory in their last seven league matches (1-0-6). They currently sit 28th in the MLS league table, making them third from bottom.

The Bad News

Perhaps our squad wasn’t as well constructed as we thought if we are so reliant on just a tiny group of players. The bottom shouldn’t fall out of the entire season just because Cristian and Gomez Andrade are injured at the same time. Strengthening the squad needs sorting. It needs sorting right now.

I believe in our players. I always do. What we’re seeing on the pitch, though, doesn’t jibe with the level I know our squad is capable of. I hate criticising our players, and it’s not something I often do. I’m more of a workers over management person. But it has to be said that I’ve never seen so much ball-watching when we’re in possession. I’ve never seen so many of our players stranded on the ball. Never seen so little off-the-ball running to attack space and provide support. Never seen so little evidence of quick and sharp combination play in attack. Never seen us turned-over in all areas of the pitch giving away possession so cheaply. If we fix these deficiencies in training, we will start to see positive results. If we don’t fix them, we will lose the midweek fixture and we will lose the next match, and the one after that, and the one after that. Our coaching staff must accept responsibility for these outcomes and get to sorting it right out. If it’s the players who are at fault, they need to be replaced.

The MLS league championship is well out of reach now. I can’t imagine dropping seven league results in a row and still managing to somehow compete for it. We were eliminated from CONCACAF Champions Cup by Tigres, though we played quite well in that tournament, reaching the Quarter-Final stage. Leagues Cup was a wash, despite an expected victory over Queretaro, and a valiant effort against the Chivas. The loss to Vancouver on Sunday ended our chances at winning Cascadia. All that remains is a chance for MLS Cup qualification, where we are currently one point adrift of Minnesota United and the last qualifying berth in our region. As it stands though, even if we manage to qualify for MLS Cup, I can’t imagine us advancing if we continue to play like we’ve been playing.

Although season numbers for scoring and defence seem to show little cause for alarm, this changes dramatically when you look at those numbers over just the last ten matches. Since 16 May, Sounders are 1-0-9 in all competitions, have scored seven goals (0.70 goals/match), and conceded 21 goals (2.10/match). Those results and their underlying statistics are indefensible. The people responsible should be sacked.

Although Austin are in 28th place out of 30 in the MLS league table (4-5-10), they went undefeated in phase one of Leagues Cup, getting victories over both Tijuana and Puebla by an aggregate score of 5:0, and managed a 1:1 draw with the juggernaut that is Club America. They followed these sparkling results with a 1:2 loss against Dallas in the league. This is kind of what confuses me about both the Sounders and Austin. We’ve both been alternately good and shite this season, and it’s unclear which of those labels is a more overall comprehensive one - for both teams.

The Side I Would Select

I’d have Hawkins over Lopez and Kim in the interest of resting Lopez. Alex belongs back at right back, and then Kossa-Rienzi could go on Sat in Cincinnati to spell him. De Rosario needs minutes.

GK     Thomas

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Hawkins

RB     Alex

LDM   Brunell

RDM   Kingston

LF     Rothrock

CAM   Rusnak

RF     Gomez

CF     De Rosario

The Side I Think The Gaffer Will Select

Ragen and Nouhou are never getting a match off. Because the Gaffer likes to play Ferreira and Rusnak in the team at the same time, and Ferreira got hurt Rusnak has no cover at the 10. I predict the same lineup that faced Vancouver minus Ferreira.

GK     Thomas

LB     Nouhou

LCH     Ragen

RCH     Alex

RB      Kossa-Rienzi

LDM    Brunell

RDM    Kingston

LF        Rothrock

CAM   Rusnak

RF     Gomez

CF     Musovski

Intangibles

The Referee for Wednesday night’s match will be Allen Chapman.

SEA record with Chapman as Ref: 16-5-9

ATX record with Chapman as Ref: 1-3-3

Aggregate estimated transfer value of SEA squad: €44.13M

Aggregate estimated transfer value of ATX squad: €40.95M

SEA 2026 season transfer fees paid: €0

ATX 2026 season transfer fees paid: €10.28M

General notes on personnel

Austin transfers IN:

Ervin Torres - reserves

Bell (Seattle Sounders FC) free

Nelson (Vancouver Whitecaps FC) €1M

Rosales (Minnesota United FC) €1.28M

Facundo Torres (Palmeiras) €8M

Ramirez (Los Angeles Galaxy) free

Placheta (Oxford United) free

Alastuey - reserves

Austin transfers OUT:

Cascante - released

Fakarlun (El Paso Locomotive) free

Rubio (La Serena) free

Cleveland (Sporting Kansas City SC) €43,000

Bukari (Widzew Lodz) €5.5M

Obrian (Independiente Santa Fe) free

Taylor (MLS Pool) free

Pereira (CF Montreal) €1.84M

Dubersarsky (Atletico Tigre) loan

Comparison against common opponents

MIN 0:0 SEA

ATX 2:2 MIN

MIN 2:2 ATX

(against MIN: SEA 0-1-0 0, ATX 0-2-0 0) marginal edge ATX

RSL 2:1 SEA

RSL 2:1 ATX

(against RSL: SEA 0-0-1 -1, ATX 0-0-1 -1) even

LAFC 1:0 SEA

ATX 0:0 LAFC

(against LAFC: SEA 0-0-1 -1, ATX 0-1-0 0) marginal edge ATX

SEA 0:2 LAG

ATX 1:2 LAG

(against LAG: SEA 0-0-1 -2, ATX 0-0-1 -1) marginal edge ATX

SJ 0:1 SEA

SEA 3:2 SJ

SJ 5:1 ATX
(against SJ: SEA 2-0-0 +2, ATX 0-0-1 -4) decisive edge SEA

HOU 0:1 SEA

ATX 2:0 HOU

HOU 3:0 ATX

(against HOU: SEA 1-0-0 +1, ATX 1-0-1 -1) marginal edge SEA

STL 0:1 SEA

SEA 4:1 STL

ATX 2:0 STL
STL 3:0 ATX

(against STL: SEA 2-0-0 +4, ATX 1-0-1 -1) decisive edge SEA

SEA 1:1 SD

SD 5:0 ATX

(against SD: SEA 0-1-0 0, ATX 0-0-1 -5) decisive edge SEA

SKC 1:1 SEA

ATX 1:2 SKC

(against SKC: SEA 0-1-0 0, ATX 0-0-1 -1) marginal edge SEA

SEA 2:0 COL

COL 1:0 ATX

(against COL: SEA 1-0-0 +2, ATX 0-0-1 -1) decisive edge SEA

SEA 2:1 DAL

ATX 1:2 DAL

(against DAL: SEA 1-0-0 +1, ATX 0-0-1 -1) decisive edge SEA

Know Thine Enemy

Austin as they lined up against the Dallas in their 1:2 defeat on 16 August at McKalla Place.

GOALKEEPER

Brad Stuver, 35

United States

Notable Clubs: Columbus Crew SC (2/0), New York City FC (7/0), Austin FC (185/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €300,000

Notes: Played his university football for Cleveland State (71/0).

DEFENCE

Jon Gallagher, 30

Ireland

Notable Clubs: Atlanta United FC (16/4), Aberdeen (22/1), Austin FC (194/17)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.8M

Notes: Developed by Beachside SC and Home United. Played his university football for Notre Dame (84/39).

Guilherme Biro, 26

Brazil

Notable Clubs: Coritiba (71/1), Mirassol (43/2), Austin FC (79/7)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2M

Notes: Full name: Guilherme da Trindade Dubas.

Oleksandr Svatok, 31

Ukraine (11/0)

Notable Clubs: Volyn Lutsk (4/0), Zorya Luhansk (41/1), Hajduk Split (16/0), Dnipro-1 (90/2), Austin FC (52/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.2M

Notes: Developed by Inter Dnipropetrovsk and Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.

Mateja Djordjevic, 23

Serbia

Notable Clubs: Vozdovac (27/0), TSC (38/0), Austin FC (10/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1M

Notes: Developed by FK Internacional and Partizan. Played for Serbia (19/0) at youth levels.

Joseph Rosales, 25

Honduras (38/0)

Notable Clubs: CA Independiente de La Chorrera (33/2), Minnesota United FC (97/2), Austin FC (19/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2.5M

Notes: Full name: Joseph Yerimid Rosales Erazo. Won two Panamanian league titles with CA Independiente.

MIDFIELD

Besard Sabovic, 28

Sweden

Notable Clubs: Djurgarden (74/6), Brommapojkarna (7/0), Dalkurd (27/5), Mjallby (27/4), Kayserispor (11/0), Khimki (21/1), Austin FC (46/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.5M

Notes: Developed by Brommapojkarna and Djurgarden. Won an Allsvenskan title with Djurgarden.

Ilie Sanchez, 35

Catalonia (1/1)

Notable Clubs: 1860 Munich (24/1), Elche (27/1), Sporting Kansas City (144/7), Los Angeles FC (98/3), Austin FC (42/2)

Estimated Transfer Value: €200,000

Notes: Developed by Martinenc, FC Barcelona, Poble Sec, Catalonia, Collblanc, and Cornella. Won a US Open Cup with Kansas City in 2017. Won an MLS Cup and MLS League double and a US Open Cup with LAFC.

FORWARD

Myrto Uzuni, 31

Albania (48/6)

Notable Clubs: Tomori (23/3), Apolonia (69/22), Laci (38/11), Lokomotiva (61/16), Ferencvaros (42/19), Granada (105/49), Austin FC (44/12)

Estimated Transfer Value: €4M

Notes: Developed by Tomori. Won 2x Hungarian league title and a Hungarian Cup with Ferencvaros. Won a Spanish Segunda Division title with Granada. Won the Golden Boot for the 2022 Hungarian Cup (8 goals). Won Pichichi Trophy (La Liga’s version of Golden Boot) 2022-23 (23 goals).

Christian Ramirez, 35

United States (2/1)

Notable Clubs: Minnesota United FC (138/71), Los Angeles FC (24/6), Houston Dynamo (31/8), Aberdeen (45/10), Columbus Crew SC (55/16), Los Angeles Galaxy (25/4), Austin FC (17/5)

Estimated Transfer Value: €200,000

Notes: Developed by Irvine Strikers. Played his university football for UC Santa Barbara (24/1) and Concordia (NCAA II) (42/41). Won an NASL Spring title and league championship with Minnesota United FC. Won an MLS Cup and Leagues Cup with Columbus Crew SC. Named 3x to NASL Best XI. Won two NASL Golden Boots (20 goals in 2014, and 18 goals in 2016). Named NASL Young Player of the Year.

Ervin Torres, 18

United States

Notable Clubs: Austin FC (11/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €100,000

Notes: Developed by Austin FC. Played for United States (5/0) at youth levels.

Familiar Faces

Austin and Jamaica (2/0) defender, Jonathan Bell, played for the Sounders FC (32/1) from 2024-25.

Squads

Sounders FC from:

Frei, Thomas, Anchor, Hawkins, Kim, Kossa-Rienzi, Lopez, Nouhou, Ragen, Alex, Sailor, Brunell, Gomez, Kingston, Cristian, Rusnak, De Rosario, Musovski, Rothrock.

Austin from:

Stuver, Las, Thomas, Desler, Hines-Ike, Svatok, Bell, Gallagher, Kolmanic, Biro, Djordjevic, Sanchez, Sabovic, Alastuey, Rosales, Burton, Ervin Torres, Nelson, Vazquez, Uzuni, Facundo Torres, Fodrey, Ramirez, Placheta.

Injury List

(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)

Sounders FC -

OUT: Ferreira (hamstring), Dotson (hamstring), De la Vega (quadriceps), Arriola (calf), Gomez Andrade (calf), Morris (quadriceps), Petkovic (knee).

MATCHDAY DECISION: Cristian (quadriceps).

Austin -

OUT: Wolff (ankle).

MATCHDAY DECISION: none.

Discipline

(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)

Sounders FC: No players suspended. Kingston out next match if booked.

Austin: No players suspended. Sabovic out next match if booked.

Fun Fact

The good news is that Sounders FC Reserves forward Mark Bronnik hit a brace in Sunday’s match at LAFC 2. Bronnik has now scored 10 goals with the Reserves this season. Newboy Matthew Bell also scored for the Reserves. The bad news is that it wasn’t enough to prevail, as LAFC 2 headed in a stoppage-time winner from a corner-kick. Sounders FC Reserves are currently in 17th place (out of 30 teams) in the MLS Next Pro table, 19 points adrift of leaders Austin FC II. Next up for the Reserves are Sporting KC II with kick-off at Starfire scheduled for 7 p.m. PDT on 24 August. We see ye workin’ hard, lads. Show’em what you're made of.