Seattle Sounders 1-1 CF Montréal · MLS Matchday 31 · Lumen Field, Seattle · October 17

The squad avoided defeat, but a 1-1 home draw against Wooden Spoon contender CF Montréal felt like two points dropped. Seattle turned in one of their worst first-half performances of the season before rallying after halftime, leaving fans in the postgame calls frustrated by the starting lineup, costly giveaways and a missed opportunity to build momentum ahead of the playoffs.

What fans said

Manu questions the lineup experimentation. With Seattle fighting for a top-four playoff seed, Manu spoke for many when he argued that the center back pairing in this game was an unnecessary gamble. You can also count him among the advocates of the more familiar Alex Roldan–Kalani Kossa-Rienzi defensive setup, particularly with Seattle facing their theoretically easiest remaining opponent.

Tribe sees a mentality problem. Seattle's improvement over the final 25 minutes left our perennial leadoff caller wondering why the Sounders couldn't play that way from the opening whistle. He also questioned why Dejan Joveljić was drifting into wide areas rather than receiving service in front of goal, where the Serbian has proven so lethal over his first few games with the club before going cold over the past two games.

Jack questions Seattle's lack of aggression. Jack argued that the Sounders approached the match as though they could overwhelm the league's worst team without matching the intensity, pointing to a lack of urgency on both ends of the field in the first half. Taking any opponent lightly can backfire in the wild world of MLS, and Seattle might've gotten burned by that reality here.

The take that's right

Manu made the most important point of the night. Seattle's recent improvement has been real, but there's a meaningful distinction between the last two results. The Sounders played well enough to win at FC Dallas, creating plenty of chances in a defeat and getting done in by an incredible golazo. Against Montréal, they were on the opposite end of that spectrum, fortunate to salvage a point after a disastrous first half against the league's worst team.

Up next

San Diego FC · Saturday, October 24 · 7:30 pm PT · Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego

Seattle's remaining schedule offers little margin for error, with San Diego FC, Houston Dynamo FC, Vancouver Whitecaps FC and LAFC among the opponents awaiting down the stretch. The challenge now is to respond against San Diego, where another sluggish start could prove far more costly. With playoff positioning still at stake, the Sounders need to show that the Montréal performance was an aberration rather than a sign of another downturn.

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Previous edition: Fans react to Seattle Sounders vs. FC Dallas