The good vibes continue in Seattle.

The Sounders are riding a four-game winning streak, and with the playoffs fast approaching, it's starting to feel like this team is hitting its stride at exactly the right time.

In this week's Scouting Report, we're talking Hassani Dotson's breakout performance, the absolute joy of watching Dejan Joveljić play soccer, and why I'll defend the secondary assist until my dying breath. Plus, LAFC Downfall Watch continues, and a massive Western Conference showdown with FC Dallas awaits.

Let's get into it.

The Big Thing: A glimpse of the Hassani Dotson Seattle thought it was getting

Hassani Dotson's first season in Seattle hasn't been the smoothest sailing of all time.

The former Minnesota United midfielder arrived with expectations that he could help solidify the Sounders' central midfield after Obed Vargas's departure, but he didn't look fully comfortable or acclimated early in the season, and then he missed time with injury. At times, the move looked like a potential bust, which would be a disaster for a player expected to be a load-bearing piece this season.

That's why this 3-0 win over New England was so encouraging.

Dotson's 15th-minute goal was obviously the headline moment, but his overall performance alongside Cristian Roldan was just as important. Seattle's double pivot was active all over the field, covering a ton of ground and helping disrupt New England's attempts to play through midfield. It was the kind of energetic, two-way performance that made Dotson an attractive acquisition in the first place.

For the first time in a while, we got a pretty convincing glimpse of the player Seattle thought it was getting. And on Saturday, he was a major reason the Sounders walked away with three points.

Things I Noticed

Joveljić effect

I don't know how else to put this: I absolutely love having Dejan Joveljić on the Seattle Sounders.

Obviously, the goals are a big part of that. But what I've come to appreciate just as much is the attitude, the swagger, the brashness and the edge he brings to this team.

Take his performance against New England. Shortly before scoring Seattle's second goal, Joveljić missed an absolute sitter that he really should have buried. No matter. A few minutes later, he was right back in the mix, putting the game away with a finish that effectively sealed all three points.

That's the mentality you want from your star striker. Miss a chance? Who cares. Go get the next one.

And it's not just that. Think back to the header off the free kick and the subsequent trash talk. There's a certain edge to the way Joveljić carries himself, like he genuinely enjoys getting under opponents' skin and embraces the responsibility of delivering when the stakes are highest. That kind of personality is infectious, especially on a team that has sometimes lacked it. The Sounders have had no shortage of talented players over the years, but Joveljić brings a particular brand of confidence and fearlessness that I think this group really benefits from.

I still find myself watching him and thinking: I can't believe this guy plays for Seattle.

What a player. What a signing.

2. In defense of the secondary assist

Albert Rusnák is now leading MLS in both total assists and primary assists, but both of his dimes in this match were secondary assists. And that means it's time for me to climb back onto one of my favorite soapboxes, since secondary assists are always prone to creating some good "it doesn't count" discourse. So, I'll stand up and say what many people are too afraid to say:

The secondary assist is good, actually.

First, on Rusnák: I don't think we need to relitigate the entire discourse surrounding his contract and former Designated Player status. We've been over all that approximately 14 million times. He's not a DP anymore, he's playing better, the Sounders are playing better, and the whole subject just doesn't feel quite as contentious as it once did.

But his production does provide an opportunity to revisit something I've maintained for years: MLS is right to credit secondary assists, and frankly, it's the other leagues that are bush league for not counting them.

Think about how many goals are created by a brilliant pass that isn't technically the final ball. A midfielder splits two lines with a perfectly weighted through ball, the recipient squares it across the box, and a striker taps it home. Under the conventional assist model, the player who made the most difficult and consequential pass in the entire sequence gets nothing on the statsheet. How does that make sense?

The secondary assist isn't some woke participation trophy. It's recognition that creating a goal often involves more than one meaningful action, and that the pass before the final ball can be just as important — sometimes more important — than the final ball itself.

And inevitably, whenever I make this argument, someone hits me with what they apparently believe is the ultimate gotcha: "Well, where do you draw the line? If you're going to credit the second guy, shouldn't you credit every pass in the buildup?"

No. You draw the line at the second guy. You credit the final pass and the pass before it. That's where the line is. I just drew it.

The point is to recognize more of the players who materially contribute to creating goals, and counting secondary assists does that better than pretending the final pass is the only one that matters.

MLS got this one right. Everyone else should catch up.

Around MLS: LAFC Downfall Watch continues

I'm pleased to report that LAFC Downfall Watch remains alive and well.

The latest installment came Saturday night, when the Black & Gold managed just a 1-1 home draw against Vancouver Whitecaps FC despite playing with a man advantage from the seventh minute onward.

Now, drawing Vancouver isn't some great embarrassment in a vacuum. The Whitecaps are one of the best teams in MLS, and there's certainly no shame in taking a point off them.

But the circumstances here are pretty damning. LAFC had a numerical advantage for virtually the entire match, somehow conceded the opening goal anyway, and then had to claw their way back just to salvage a draw. Not finding a winner after all that is pretty tough. It's another result that raises questions about where this team is headed, especially with the playoffs approaching.

That said, there's still an important caveat, and it's something Jackson and I discussed on Kickoff: LAFC have so much top-end talent that they can still beat anyone on any given night, regardless of how disjointed they might look collectively. With players like Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga, the game plan can sometimes be as simple as waiting for one of your superstars to do something ridiculous.

That's what makes LAFC such a fascinating wild card. I'm increasingly skeptical of them as a team, but I wouldn't particularly relish drawing them in a knockout game, either.

For now, though, Downfall Watch continues.

The best crowd pop of the MLS season?

If you haven't seen the ending to Saturday's Toronto FC–CF Montréal game, do yourself a favor and go watch it immediately.

Trailing their biggest rivals 1-0 entering second-half stoppage time, Toronto somehow pulled off a miraculous 2-1 victory with goals from Lewis Morgan in the 93rd minute and Djordje Mihailovic in the 95th.

But as incredible as the comeback was, I want to spotlight the reaction inside BMO Field when Mihailovic scored the winner. It might be the best crowd pop I've seen in MLS all season.

That's what I love about this clip. Toronto FC fans have had precious little to celebrate since the Greg Vanney glory days. But there they were, still showing up, still invested, and still losing their collective minds over a stoppage-time winner against their biggest rival.

I think that says a lot about that fanbase's loyalty. And more broadly, it's a great reminder of something that sometimes gets overlooked in discussions about MLS: These clubs have supporters who genuinely love them, through all the losing, frustration and disappointment that comes with it.

You don't get a reaction like that without real emotional investment.

On Deck: Seattle at FC Dallas

Wednesday, Oct. 14 · 5:30 pm PT · Toyota Stadium · MLS regular season · Apple TV

If you haven't been paying much attention to Dallas this season, allow me to introduce you to their No. 9, Petar Musa, who is an absolute demon.

There's a legitimate argument that Musa is the best pure striker in MLS right now. He's got the size, the movement, the finishing ability and the physicality to make life miserable for opposing center backs. He's the kind of player who can turn a half-chance into a goal before you even realize the danger. He's a full-fledged Croatian international who scored a goal against England at the World Cup. We're talking about a real guy here.

One thing I'm watching: Can the defense win another big-time matchup?

The Sounders' defense has looked increasingly solid in this recent run, but Musa presents a different caliber of challenge than most of the forwards they've faced lately, though Seattle has competed well in recent weeks against similarly demonic forces such as Evander, André Luiz, and Carles Gil.

Can Seattle keep him quiet on the road against one of the Western Conference's best teams? If they can, it'll be another strong sign that this team's late-season resurgence is real.

From Lobbing Scorchers