The Sounders found a painful way to leave two points in San Diego, and I think we're all still annoyed about it. But looking around at the rest of the Western Conference, I’m also having a hard time finding a team Seattle should consider out of reach.

This week: an open playoff field, the continuation of the Dejan Joveljić effect, and whether this team’s ceiling is higher than their results suggest.

The Big Thing

That was another draw that felt like a loss.

Seattle should have beaten San Diego. The ending sucked, the encroachment non-call in the first San Diego penalty kick was frustrating, and Stu Hawkins got a lesson in jersey-grabbing you’d hope he won’t need twice. There’s plenty to pick apart about how the Sounders let those points get away.

But my biggest takeaway from the weekend has less to do with Seattle than the conference around them: Who, exactly, is supposed to run away with this thing?

There’s no Western Conference version of Nashville SC. No team looks so far above the field that you’re watching the Sounders and wondering how they could possibly close that gap before the playoffs. There are good teams, flawed teams and a whole lot of teams operating in roughly the same neighborhood.

Vancouver are probably the closest thing to an exception. They also beat Seattle 2-0 the last time these teams played, so this isn’t an argument for dismissing them. But even the Whitecaps haven’t separated themselves the way Nashville have out East. And the Sounders did already beat them in Concacaf Champions Cup this year. Seattle has precedent for winning that matchup, even if you wouldn’t pick them as the favorite.

FC Dallas just beat the Sounders, too. But did anyone leave that game feeling like Seattle couldn't compete with them in a theoretical playoff situation? Dallas were better on the night when it counted, but that matchup didn't suggest the teams inhabit different competitive universes.

St. Louis are genuinely good and probably feel like Rafael Navarro gives them a similar boost to what Seattle feels they've received with Dejan Joveljić. They’re also inexperienced in this setting, and they haven’t been some unstoppable force either. You can keep going down the conference and find reasons to believe in teams, followed pretty quickly by reasons to question them.

Which leaves Seattle in a strange position: MLS Cup contenders almost by default.

And if you’re looking for a reason their playoff ceiling might be higher than it looked earlier this season, start with Joveljić, who scored another ballistic goal in San Diego.

The pre-Deki version of this team? I would not have liked their chances in tight playoff games. But we’ve already seen what changes when you have a striker capable of producing the goals he scored in Colorado and San Diego. Those are ridiculous finishes in high-leverage moments on the road against Western Conference opponents. Having someone who can pull those out of nowhere gives you a chance even when the rest of the attack isn’t clicking.

Joveljić has already done it on the playoff stage, too. Sounders fans hardly need reminding that he can decide one of those games. This is a player with experience delivering during an MLS Cup run, which matters when you’re assessing what Seattle might be capable of over the next few weeks.

None of that guarantees anything. San Diego showed that even a spectacular Joveljić goal doesn't get you a win by itself. The Sounders still have to defend a lead, finish their other chances and stop giving points away.

In a season with one or two dominant Western teams, I might look at this group and conclude they aren’t on that level. But it’s a relative game. They don’t have to meet an imaginary championship standard. They have to beat the teams in front of them.

Looking around the West, I don’t see a matchup they should consider beyond them. And with Deki, they have a better chance of producing the moment that tips one of those matchups in their favor.

I see a conference waiting for somebody to take it and a Seattle team that still has a chance to be that somebody.

Things I Noticed

I’m still not over the encroachment.

I know, I know. Seattle had a two-goal lead and should have seen the game out. You can't let refs decide games. Stu Hawkins will learn from the late penalty, and the Sounders could have handled other moments better. But the great thing about having a podcast and a newsletter is I can complain about these things when I'm feeling salty, and I’m not above complaining about this one again, because the encroachment no-call on San Diego’s first goal truly sent my head to Mars.

The player in question, Gabriel Pirani, is all the way in the box when Anders Dreyer takes the penalty. This isn’t a borderline call where we’re squinting at a toe on the line. Then he crashes the rebound and gets into the middle of the play, having clearly gained an advantage by entering early.

The counterargument seems to be that it doesn’t matter because he didn’t touch the ball. But even if that's true, a touch isn’t the only way an encroaching player can affect the play. Watch him get to the rebound and tell me he isn’t involved in the scramble that follows. I feel like I'm losing my mind.

What makes it more frustrating is how long MLS games are delayed every week for reviews. We’re routinely sitting through stoppages and winding up with eight, nine or 10 minutes of added time. If we’re going to pause the game that often to get decisions right, how does this one stand?

Andrew Thomas made an epic penalty save on Dreyer. As I see it, that goal should have been disallowed and Seattle should still have been up 2-0.

Argue with a wall.

Sebastian Gomez did it again.

We talked about Gomez’s breakout last week, and in San Diego he came off the bench and scored for the second straight game. He’s been electric these last few weeks, and I’m excited about what this could mean for a Sounders team that hasn’t had enough attacking players develop into consistent first-team contributors.

First, a shoutout to Hassani Dotson on the goal. The effort to win the ball and get that cross in was excellent. Then there’s Gomez, making another perfectly timed run to the back post and finishing the play. He keeps finding ways to make an impact, whether he’s starting or coming on at halftime.

At this point, I want to see him in the starting lineup. And I think Paul Arriola should be in that mix, too. Between Gomez’s recent goals and Arriola’s productive run since returning from injury, those two are producing some of Seattle's best end product right now. If the Sounders are trying to find their most dangerous attacking group for the stretch run, both deserve a serious look.

One more look at Deki’s golazo.

Can we take a moment to appreciate the latest exploits of one Dejan Joveljić?

For his latest trick, he picks up the ball outside the box, moves onto his left foot and lets it fly. An absolute rocket to give Seattle the lead on the road. Just a ridiculous goal from a player who’s already given us a few of those in a Sounders shirt.

The ending of that game was frustrating enough that it’s easy for a goal like this to get lost in everything that followed. I refuse to let that happen. Go watch it again.

Around MLS

If you want to see why I think the Western Conference is there for the taking, just look around at the weekend results.

Vancouver lost 1-0 at Colorado. I don't think that says anything about the Whitecaps, and it certainly doesn't change my opinion that they’re the West’s strongest team. But just imagine the conversation and fraud-watch discourse that would ensue if Seattle had gone to Colorado and lost 1-0 at this point of the season.

St. Louis lost 3-0 at Real Salt Lake. Yes, St. Louis went down a man just before halftime. But that’s part of the point: Even good teams can have a rough night, get a player sent off and get smoked by a team that’s spent much of the year struggling.

Houston drew Minnesota 0-0 at home. That’s another contender dropping points against a team below the playoff line. And the Dynamo are coming to Lumen Field on Wednesday.

FC Dallas were the big winners, beating San Jose 3-0. They look like a dangerous team, and they just beat Seattle. But, again, the Sounders were plenty competitive in that game on the road. And on the other side of that result, you have another Western playoff team in San Jose getting blown out.

LAFC and the LA Galaxy drew 2-2 in a wild El Tráfico. LAFC will always be dangerous with Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-Min on the team. That’s just the reality when you have two attackers capable of deciding a game. But there’s a reason they fired their coach: They’ve been in a rut for a while now, and this is hardly the kind of juggernaut the rest of the West should be terrified of, like they've been in past years.

Each of these teams can deliver a good result. Each is capable of a frustrating one, too. Seattle are hardly alone in that department.

On Deck: Seattle vs. Houston Dynamo FC

Wednesday, Oct. 28 · 7:30 p.m. PT · Lumen Field · MLS regular season · Apple TV

Houston are a solid team. This isn’t one of those Dynamo sides from years past that you could expect to roll over: Guilherme and Mateusz Bogusz give them a pair of dangerous attackers, and they’ve already secured a playoff spot. Here’s a fun stat, too: Houston and Seattle have both scored 41 goals and conceded 39 this season.

The Sounders do have a pretty remarkable history in this matchup at Lumen Field. After their last meeting in Seattle in 2025, the club listed their home record against Houston at 13W-0L-5D, including the playoffs.

What I’m watching: How do the Sounders come out?

That first half against Montréal was alarming. The energy and intensity disparity was obvious, and Seattle can’t afford to come out that flat again. If they start sharply and Guilherme produces a moment of quality to score, that’s one thing. But they need to meet Houston’s intensity from the opening whistle and give themselves a chance to dictate the game at home.

If they do that, I like their chances of getting a much-needed win.

From Lobbing Scorchers