Seattle Sounders 2-1 Sporting Kansas City · MLS regular season · Lumen Field, Oct. 2 · Goals: Sebastián Gómez, Cristian Roldan · Seattle now 7th in the West on 38 points.

It wasn't pretty, but it was nine points from nine. Seattle followed a rough first half with a comeback win, as Gómez tied it up before Roldan struck in stoppage time. The calls ranged from “the Sounders are back!” to skepticism over how sustainable this run really is – and both sides had a case.

What fans said

Are the Sounders back? First-time caller Steelus thinks so, saying the last three games “look like the Sounders are back to me.” His biggest observation wasn't tactical: The group looks cohesive again, the tension has lifted and, after a miserable summer, the players finally look like they're having fun.

How sustainable is this? Rowan supplied the counterargument. He hasn't fully changed his outlook despite the points, noting that Seattle's recent scoring run has included several low-percentage finishes from distance. Thursday's Gómez equalizer encouraged him because it looked more like the type of repeatable attacking sequence Seattle can build on.

The kids keep contributing. Azurata highlighted Seattle's newer faces, with Gómez's equalizer as the headline contribution and Mark Bronnik playing a subtle role in creating space for the stoppage-time winner. With Seattle still missing Dejan Joveljić, those contributions have helped keep the attack afloat.

Don't forget Andrew Thomas. Hunch cut through the comeback discussion with a simple point: “We're not talking about any of this if Andrew doesn't have a lights-out game.” Sporting created enough danger to punish Seattle's sloppy stretches, and Thomas made sure one bad half didn't become a bad result.

The take that's right

Rowan's skepticism about sustainability is the right question, but Steelus has the right read on the bigger picture: Three wins over Minnesota, Real Salt Lake and Sporting KC don't prove Seattle is suddenly an MLS Cup favorite, but they don't happen by accident either. The Sounders are eight games unbeaten (3W-OL-5D), won three straight without Joveljić and are finding different ways to score. The level of opposition is a fair caveat. It isn't necessarily a reason to pretend the turnaround isn't real.

What it means for New England

Next fixture: New England Revolution, Saturday at 4:30 pm PT, Gillette Stadium.

This is the validation game. Seattle did exactly what they needed to do during the three-match homestand, but New England offers a chance to prove the run travels against stronger opposition. The biggest thing to watch: whether Seattle can clean up the sloppy possession that plagued Thursday's first half while maintaining their newfound scoring punch.

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