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  "description": "Sounders resume play, but again on the road, in a 2026 season that feels like it hasn't started yet",
  "path": "/2026/04/a-season-of-stutters-continues/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-04T21:30:45.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.sounderatheart.com",
  "tags": [
    "I'll hope that every stutter is overcome",
    "Use our affiliate links",
    "Copies of IV magazine available",
    "Everything you need to know about Dynamo-Sounders",
    "Opposition scouting report: Houston Dynamo",
    "The Sounders love a good road trip",
    "Sounders hit final stretch of ‘road show’",
    "Selling to win: Why the Sounders altered their roster-building approach",
    "Sounders U15s advance to GA Cup final, U16s fall just short",
    "Peter Kingston signs first-team contract with Sounders",
    "Panic Rankings: March 2026",
    "Full Pull Wines",
    "Join their mailing list",
    "ION",
    "Match preview: Seattle Reign vs. Denver Summit",
    "Eight Reign players called up for FIFA international window",
    "The Cooler Guild: So far, so good in Spokane",
    "Valkyratings: Everything's coming up Meza",
    "Support Sounder at Heart",
    "King County proposes $25M for World Cup safety, Lumen Field preps for security overhaul",
    "FIFA raises World Cup ticket prices again for last sales phase",
    "FIFA canceling some hotel reservations in Seattle as World Cup approaches",
    "Seattle organizers have created an official Pride Match Day Scarf",
    "The Wild West of GAM Inflation",
    "Dare to Dream: Mohamed Salah Move to San Diego FC and The Case for MLS",
    "Fast start or false signal? What history says about early season results in the NWSL",
    "Sounders Academy shines as U-15, U-16 teams continue impressive run at GA Cup",
    "López, Caicedo, Thompson lead best U21 women's soccer players",
    "How Denver Summit smashed the NWSL attendance record in their first home game",
    "Sophia Wilson back with USWNT: ‘I’m in a really great place right now’",
    "The real value of record contracts and highest-paid women’s soccer players",
    "Deputy CEO Justin Papadakis exits USL after leading real estate strategy",
    "MLS local markets unlikely to get media rights back when Apple TV deal ends: NYCFC CEO",
    "Cristian Roldan’s MLS Training Blueprint for Elite Soccer Performance - Muscle & Fitness",
    "Jamaica's World Cup miss the latest blow for Concacaf"
  ],
  "textContent": "Between extended road trips, a home game 280 miles away, international breaks and secondary tournaments, the strong start to the MLS season is easy to overlook.\n\nFans develop patterns and habits, but in 2026 those will be difficult. Without the patterns it is easy to forget that Seattle Sounders are off to a strong start (5-1-1, +7 in all competitions). It's easy to forget that they've done this with forced lineup changes that crush most MLS teams.\n\nYour memory isn't aided by the recent international break, with Sounders young and experienced playing on three continents.\n\nOnly one team that's spent as much time on the road as Seattle is doing better (Inter Messi). Teams with stronger places in the standings are ones whose early season started with home emphasis.\n\nYour pattern is about to be interrupted again.\n\nSeattle's home emphasis starts after this final two-match road set at Houston and at Monterrey. Then the Rave Green play seven of eight at home before the World Cup pause.\n\nThe season of stuttering started off well with a strong road trip and hopes.\n\nA massive home stand, on grass, during two months renowned for great weather should buoy the side even more.\n\nStart-pause-start again-pause again is a rough way to build a sport and a horrid way to build habits. But that will be the story of 2026 until August. Perhaps by September we'll understand which teams have risen and fallen.\n\nUntil then I'll hope that every stutter is overcome with perseverance leading to success.\n\n> Use our affiliate links__ to support your bloggers when buying merch and tickets.\n\n* * *\n\n## Enjoying this content?\n\nSign up to get it delivered to your inbox everyday.\n\nSubscribe\n\nEmail sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup.\n\nNo spam. Unsubscribe anytime.\n\n## Catching up on Sounder at Heart\n\n> Here's what you missed on the site this week.\n\nCopies of IV magazine available\n\n### Sounders\n\nNext match: Saturday, April 4 at Houston Dynamo FC | 5:30 pm PT | Apple TV\n\n  * Everything you need to know about Dynamo-Sounders\n    * Opposition scouting report: Houston Dynamo\n    * The Sounders love a good road trip\n    * Sounders hit final stretch of ‘road show’\n  * Selling to win: Why the Sounders altered their roster-building approach\n  * Sounders U15s advance to GA Cup final, U16s fall just short\n  * Peter Kingston signs first-team contract with Sounders\n  * Panic Rankings: March 2026\n\n\n\nSPONSORED\n\nThis newsletter was made possible through the support of Full Pull Wines, a boutique wines reseller that has been sponsoring us since 2011.\n\n\n                            Join their mailing list\n                        \n\n### Reign\n\nNext match: Saturday, April 4 vs. Denver Summit at ONE Spokane Stadium | 5:45 pm PT | ION\n\n  * Match preview: Seattle Reign vs. Denver Summit\n  * Eight Reign players called up for FIFA international window\n  * The Cooler Guild: So far, so good in Spokane\n  * Valkyratings: Everything's coming up Meza\n\n\n\n### Defiance\n\nNext match: Sunday, April 12 at Vancouver Whitecaps II | 4 pm PT | MLSNextPro.com\n\nSupport Sounder at Heart\n\n* * *\n\n## Looking back at the news\n\n> Everything else you need to know\n\n  * King County proposes $25M for World Cup safety, Lumen Field preps for security overhaul (KING5)\n    * FIFA raises World Cup ticket prices again for last sales phase (New York Times)\n    * FIFA canceling some hotel reservations in Seattle as World Cup approaches (Puget Sound Daily Journal of Commerce)\n    * Seattle organizers have created an official Pride Match Day Scarf (Outsports) scroll down\n  * The Wild West of GAM Inflation (Footy Analytics Musings)\n  * Dare to Dream: Mohamed Salah Move to San Diego FC and The Case for MLS (SDFC)\n  * Fast start or false signal? What history says about early season results in the NWSL (Equalizer)\n  * Sounders Academy shines as U-15, U-16 teams continue impressive run at GA Cup (Sounders FC)\n  * López, Caicedo, Thompson lead best U21 women's soccer players (ESPN)\n  * How Denver Summit smashed the NWSL attendance record in their first home game (The Guardian)\n  * Sophia Wilson back with USWNT: ‘I’m in a really great place right now’ (New York Times)\n  * The real value of record contracts and highest-paid women’s soccer players (Yahoo Sports)\n  * Deputy CEO Justin Papadakis exits USL after leading real estate strategy (Sports Business Journal)\n  * MLS local markets unlikely to get media rights back when Apple TV deal ends: NYCFC CEO (New York Post)\n  * Cristian Roldan’s MLS Training Blueprint for Elite Soccer Performance - Muscle & Fitness (Muscle & Fitness)\n  * Jamaica's World Cup miss the latest blow for Concacaf (Get Concacafed)\n\n",
  "title": "A season of stutters continues",
  "updatedAt": "2026-04-04T21:30:47.136Z"
}