Three straight wins have the Sounders trending in the right direction, but how much should we actually read into a streak against struggling opposition?

For this week's Scouting Report, we're zooming out on Seattle's recent form, checking in on Albert Rusnák and Dejan Joveljić and giving Nouhou his flowers ahead of a character-building road test at New England.

Then, it's time to dive into some USMNT punditry.

The Big Thing

There's nothing wrong with a good old-fashioned caveat.

In the Sounders' three-game winning streak, the obvious one is the quality of opposition. Real Salt Lake, Minnesota United and Sporting Kansas City aren't just mediocre teams – they're among the worst in MLS. And Thursday's win over SKC was probably uglier and more nerve-racking than you'd like, against the actual worst team in the league. It's fair to point out that nine points from those three games doesn't automatically make Seattle an MLS Cup contender.

But nine points from nine is still nine points from nine. And more importantly, I don't think the sample we're evaluating should start three games ago.

Go back through the five straight draws that preceded this winning streak and there were already signs Seattle had taken a step forward from the summer doldrums. Against Chicago, Dejan Joveljić scored twice – including an absurd long-range strike – before the Sounders conceded a frustrating late equalizer to Bob Lewandowski. They fought back for a point against Cincinnati on a brilliant Kalani Kossa-Rienzi goal, did the same on the road against the Galaxy, then scored three times in Colorado with Joveljić producing another banger and Caden Clark finding a stoppage-time equalizer on his debut.

That's not to retroactively declare five straight draws some incredible run of form. The point is that there were tangible signs of improvement inside those results. Seattle looked more functional. The attack was producing more dangerous moments. They were competing better against good opponents. We were talking about those things before the wins started arriving.

We'll find out how this ages, but that's why I don't think it's delusional cope to view this less as a three-game heater against bad teams and more as the latest development in an eight-game stretch where Seattle have increasingly looked like themselves. And it's worth remembering they didn't even have Joveljić – one of the most exciting parts of that initial attacking resurgence – available for any of these three wins.

Does that mean they're ready to win MLS Cup? I wouldn't go there yet. The upcoming schedule will provide much better tests, and Seattle still have plenty to prove before anyone should put them in that category.

But that's also what makes the stretch run interesting. A month ago, the question was whether this team could stop the spiral. They've done that. Now they've given themselves a chance to answer a more compelling question: Just how good can this version of the Sounders actually be?

Three Things I Noticed

1. Obligatory Albert Rusnák discourse

I've spent a lot of time defending Albert Rusnák over the years, but if you asked me whether he's completely lived up to the expectations I had when Seattle signed him from Real Salt Lake, I'm not sure I could honestly say yes.

Back then, I thought the Sounders were getting a genuine upper-tier star in MLS. I think he's been closer to that level than he gets credit for, but truly great players tend to be self-evident – you don't have to spend years litigating whether they're actually good. The narrative that Rusnák doesn't carry the team as consistently as some of the other big-name attackers in the league isn't totally unfair.

But I've started thinking about Rusnák through a baseball analogy I came up with during this week's episode of Lobbing Scorchers Kickoff. He's not the Aaron Judge, 50-homer bat who can carry a lineup all by himself. He's more like the guy who hits .285 with 25 homers. There's a ton of value in having those guys in your lineup, they're just not necessarily going to put you over the top in the quest for championship glory.

Jordan Morris, when healthy, fits into a similar category. Neither needs to be the singular superstar carrying your attack to be extremely valuable. They're proven, productive MLS players who can deliver goals and assists over a season. The problem comes when you need one of those players to suddenly become your 50-homer hitter.

That's what Pedro de la Vega was supposed to provide: the game-breaking talent capable of elevating the entire lineup. Seattle haven't consistently gotten that version of PDLV due to injury, but the intriguing development lately is that Dejan Joveljić might actually be giving them that type of presence. His recent goals have shown an ability to create something from nothing that this attack has badly needed.

And that brings me back to Rusnák. He's now the MLS leader in primary assists, another reminder that even with the streakiness, he's been very productive. Maybe the question was never whether Rusnák could become Aaron Judge. It's what the lineup looks like when your .285, 25-homer hitters finally get to play alongside one.

2. Can Deki be the 50-homer bat?

Which brings us to Dejan Joveljić.

If Rusnák and Morris are the .285/25 hitters in this elongated analogy, Seattle still need someone capable of being the Aaron Judge in the middle of the lineup if they're truly going to be MLS Cup contenders. Pedro de la Vega was supposed to be that player: an elite individual talent who can create something out of nothing and completely raise the attack's ceiling.

Lately, Joveljić has made me wonder if he can be that guy. It's not just that he's scoring. It's how some of these goals have happened. The long-range strike against Chicago and the banger in Colorado were the type of individual moments Seattle haven't had nearly enough of – goals where the system doesn't have to manufacture the perfect chance because one player can simply decide to take matters into his own hands.

That's the difference between adding another productive player and adding someone who changes the equation. Seattle have players who can combine and create chances at an adequate enough level. What they've lacked is the guy who makes you think a goal might materialize from absolutely nothing.

It's still early, and a couple of spectacular goals aren't enough to declare Joveljić that player. But that's what makes his return exciting. Put that type of individual threat into an attack where Rusnák is leading MLS in primary assists and Morris is producing, and suddenly the pieces start to look different.

Maybe this team has a 50-homer bat after all.

3. Don't overlook Nouhou

I have to shout out Nouhou for the job he did against André Luiz.

Luiz looks like the second coming of Denis Bouanga. He's an absurd physical specimen – the type of athlete who looks like he should be getting picked in the first round of the NFL Draft as a wide receiver – and he's exactly the type of matchup that can turn into a nightmare for opposing defenders.

Nouhou, as usual, seemed to relish it.

Watching those two battle was one of my favorite parts of the game. Luiz eventually got his goal, but it didn't come because he beat Nouhou one-v-one or caught him out of position. It came after a giveaway elsewhere opened up the opportunity.

That's where I think Nouhou's value can sometimes get underappreciated. No, he's never going to be the attacking wingback who piles up assists. But when you're facing the $20 million attacker with a combination of speed, strength and explosiveness that most defenders simply can't match, Nouhou is one of Seattle's great equalizers.

Yéimar fits into that category, too. Seattle have had these physically exceptional defenders who can look across the field at the opposing team's most terrifying athlete and essentially say: Fine. Let's go.

That's part of why this team has historically survived matchups that look overwhelming on paper. Think back to the 2019 Western Conference Final, when Seattle went into LAFC against a Carlos Vela-led team that posted a ridiculous +48 goal differential and found a way to keep them in check.

Nouhou doesn't generate the statistics that make people talk about him. But against André Luiz, you saw exactly why having a defender with his particular skill set still matters.

Around MLS: Maybe Cavan Sullivan really is that guy

One of my biggest takeaways from this USMNT window has been just how ready the kids look.

Julian Hall has been ridiculous, scoring in each of his first three international appearances. Mathis Albert briefly became the youngest goalscorer in USMNT history against Chile. And throughout the window, Mauricio Pochettino has trusted a group of teenagers and young MLS players with real responsibility rather than simply bringing them along for the experience.

But you can't help but be especially intrigued by the continued rise of Philadelphia Union prodigy Cavan Sullivan.

There probably hasn't been an American prospect this hyped since Christian Pulisic. Sullivan debuted in MLS at 14, already has a move to Manchester City lined up for when he turns 18 and has spent years carrying expectations that would be absurd for almost any teenager.

For a while, it was fair to wonder how quickly the actual production would catch up to the hype. This year, and especially over the last couple of months, I think we're actually getting the answer.

Sullivan has become one of MLS's best players over this recent stretch. He was just named the league's Player of the Month after putting up 4g/5a in four September matches, and his emergence has been central to Philadelphia's remarkable turnaround. He's creative, explosive, goal-dangerous and plays with an energy that affects games even when he isn't on the ball.

Then came Mexico.

Yes, the goal itself starts with a bad giveaway from the goalkeeper. But watch why the giveaway happens. Sullivan chases the play, recognizes the opportunity immediately and has the awareness and quality to punish it from distance. At 17 years and five days, he became the youngest goalscorer in USMNT history.

It's only one goal in a friendly. We should always be careful about putting even more expectations on a 17-year-old who's already carrying plenty. But that was some chosen-one stuff.

The question with a prospect this hyped is always whether anyone could possibly live up to it. Watching Sullivan over the last couple of months, and now watching that form translate immediately to the international level, I'm starting to think he actually might.

On Deck: Seattle at New England

Saturday, Oct. 10 · 4:30 pm PT · Gillette Stadium · MLS regular season · Apple TV

Landon Donovan recently made some waves by taking a shot at the Revolution on his podcast, essentially describing them as a boring, uninteresting team.

I actually view New England almost completely differently.

The Revs are one of the more credible, competitive teams in MLS this season, sitting second in the Eastern Conference. They have one of the league's best No. 10s in Carles Gil, while young standouts Peyton Miller and Brooklyn Raines have both broken into the USMNT picture. They're talented, well-coached and capable of playing high-level soccer.

In other words: this is a real test.

One thing I'm watching: Road warrior mentality

I've been calling this a character-building week for the Sounders.

If you want to put an asterisk next to Seattle's three-game winning streak because Real Salt Lake, Minnesota and Sporting KC are struggling teams, that's fair enough. But if the Sounders go across the country and get a result against New England, nobody gets to say that one doesn't count. These are among the highest-degree-of-difficulty games on an MLS schedule.

You're traveling from one corner of the country to the other, dealing with the physical toll that comes with it and facing one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference on their field.

Historically, that's exactly the type of challenge the Sounders have embraced. One defining trait of the best Seattle teams has always been their road-warrior mentality. They travel well. They don't get overwhelmed by hostile environments or long MLS road trips. They find ways to grind out results in games where plenty of teams are practically chalked from the start. That's the DNA I'm looking for this weekend.

The three-game homestand showed Seattle can take care of business against teams they're supposed to beat. Now comes the opportunity to show this recent improvement travels.

From Lobbing Scorchers