External Publication

"Addicted to winning trophies"

Sounder at Heart February 21, 2026

You're a Sounder, all blue and green

And you're trained in the songs to think that no one likes you.

Which is true when you think about the fans of other teams, and maybe even a vocal minority of Seattle Sounders fans. There's a pervasive defeatism in some, who forget that Seattle wins trophies, lots of them – even in their worst seasons they win international trophies.

There are two strong cultural identities among the players. They absolutely love Puget Sound. They're either raised here, move here for school or sign and settle here for life.

The other is that they are addicted to trophies.

That drive and determination is how a B-squad dominates Inter Messi. That identity is how despite two early injuries they dominated Pumas. It's an identity that turned Lumen Field back into Lumen Fortress against Cruz Azul, LAFC, Nashville, Minnesota, Antigua and others.

It's OK to believe the Sounders are going to be good to great, because they usually are. They are not perfect. Shield winners aren't perfect either. Nor is Inter Miami who in 2025 had a stretch of six matches with five points.

Miami are the giants. They've been slayed before, in the Upper Left, where trophies are won. Mighty LAFC? Beatable, but a challenge. San Diego? Upstarts, unlikely to repeat because the list of expansion teams that open with two great seasons is Seattle. Vancouver? Rising stars who excel at making finals.

And yes, the general public thinks more about those teams than the Seattle Sounders, despite crowds and trophies. Southeast Alaska is forgettable even when it wins titles.

The betting markets do not like the Sounders (but that's OK, they're the idiots that have the favorite for MLS Goalkeeper of the Year as Seattle's backup). Now, I'm not going to link the better markets, because you have enough ways to lose money. This reference is more to offer up that the people who do not pay attention to MLS are absolutely consumed with teams that can be called ambitious – but in reality they signed a singular player who wasn't going to go anywhere else (Messi, Son, Müller).

The people who pay attention to the league in depth think the Seattle Sounders, a team with trophies upon trophies, are going to once again challenge for trophies.

Pundits think the Sounders are good to great

Trophy contenders

MLS team-by-team preview: Why is 2026 your team's year? (ESPN) At least one trophy
Ranking all 30 MLS teams by tier for 2026 (Tactics Free Zone) A trophy wouldn't be a surprise
Seattle Sounders 2026 MLS season preview (Backheeled) Maybe two trophies

Top four in the West

My final, official 2026 MLS standings predictions (Tactics Free Zone)
2026 MLS predictions: Awards, full standings, MLS Cup & more (Backheeled, a Sounder at Heart partner)
Power Rankings: Where does your team start the 2026 MLS season? (MLS Soccer)

You don't have to believe in the Seattle Sounders. They'll believe in themselves. They're addicted to trophies, Duwamish Sown and ready for the challenges of 2026.

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Sounders

Next match: Sunday, February 22 vs. Colorado Rapids | Gates at 6:15 with a pm PT 6:25 kickoff | Apple TV/FS1

Training reports
- A changing of the guard
- Sounders are ready to start the season
Everything you need to know ahead of Sounders’ new season
It’s time to start talking about the season
Lobbing Scorchers: Everything We're Predicting for the 2026 Seattle Sounders Season
Echoes: Seattle Sounders vs Colorado
Behind the scenes of the biggest transfer in Sounders history
Reed Baker-Whiting officially moved to Nashville SC
Introducing Backpost Runners
MLS Fantasy Week 1: Kickoff
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Looking back at the news

Everything else you need to know

MLS 2026 season preview: Lionel Messi's Inter Miami reloads, but league faces bigger questions (Yahoo)
- Only one New York City FC match on national TV in 2026 (Hudson River Blue) Seattle and LAFC tied for most with 6 appearances
- 5 Bold Predictions for MLS in 2026 (500 words per 90)
- 2026 MLS Previews: Columbus, Nashville, Seattle (American Soccer Analysis)
Did your NWSL club ace the offseason? Analysts grade preseason moves (NWSL Soccer)
- Happy, healthy and hungry: Why Trinity Rodman chose stability in Washington over a move abroad (Yahoo Sports)
Why Sounders have more local players than any Seattle pro team (Seattle Times)
German soccer club say proposed U.S. tour ‘does not fit our values’, citing ICE actions (New York Times)
- IOC to investigate Infantino over Trump hat, collaboration (New York Times)
- Foxboro threatens to cancel FIFA World Cup matches at Gillette Stadium if it doesn't get security money (CBS Boston)
Women’s Sports Investors Urged to Do More Than Just Write a Check (Sportico)
Seattle Seahawks are for sale as Paul Allen estate seeks buyer shortly after Super Bowl win (Geekwire)
- Criminal charges sought after more than 30 unauthorized drones over Seahawks parade (KOMO)
MLS’s calendar flip is coming. Clubs are already planning how to exploit it(The Guardian)
- Where MLS teams are shopping for players — and which leagues are paying off (Backheeled)
Non-participatory clubs frustrated over wait for Fifa to share £185m of Club World Cup money (The Guardian)
What Matt Doyle Leaving MLSSoccer.com Says about MLS and Soccer Media (Burgundy Wave)
Liga MX Femenil: An angry French coach, Sofia Jakobsson debuts with Toluca, Mazatlán gets a point with a center back as goalkeeper, and Chivas wins El Clásico Tapatío (All For XI)