10 years from now, we'll be saying to a friend, "Remember that time the Sounders scored three goals on the road, gave up no goals, and still lost?" Unfortunately, we may all remember that painful defeat the club suffered to FC Dallas in Frisco, Texas on Saturday night.
New Seattle centerback Xavier Arreaga scored a diving-header own-goal in the 33rd followed by Brad Smith sliding in front of Stefan Frei and putting a ball into the back of his own net less than seven minutes later. Raul Ruidiaz cut Dallas' lead in half mid-way through the second half, but the Sounders failed to equalize late.
According to Washington state soccer historian Frank McDonald, it is the first time in Sounders history, dating back to the club's first days in 1974, that the team has scored two goals on themselves.
Seattle's shorthanded attack lacked Nicolas Lodeiro, serving a one-game yellow card accumulation suspension, and Victor Rodriguez, still nursing a hamstring strain. Cristian Roldan slid into the #10 spot with Harry Shipp and Alex Roldan starting on the Sounders' wings. Gustav Svensson also played 45 minutes, making his first start since late April when he suffered a hamstring strain against San Jose.
Joevin Jones made his first appearance since returning to the club from Germany in the second half and featured prominently in the late surge to score. Typically a left winger and left back, Jones played mostly on the right side in Dallas.
With nearly a dozen players possibly missing Wednesday's match in Montreal, Head Coach Brian Schmetzer and General Manager Garth Lagerwey will now have to figure out the roster and lineup situation to try to break the Sounders' two game losing streak and get a good result on the road before the International Break begins.
Check out KJR's Postgame Show following the loss in Dallas below, featuring a preview of Wednesday's match in Montreal, plus highlights from Saturday's loss and post-game interviews with Brian Schmetzer, Cristian Roldan, and Stefan Frei.