Mark Kastner

In quick succession this week the Sounders played two Eastern Conference opponents with varying outcomes. First, on Saturday night, they lost 2-1 to DC United in a match that had somethings to like but ultimately the lack of points far outweighed the good. They followed up on Tuesday night, when thye resumed the postponed match from March 9 against the Philadelphia Union. The Sounders won 3-2, collecting all 3 points, but couldn’t avoid some worrying trends.

Virgil van Dijk is the Liverpool captain, and with Jurgen Klopp having two remaining games, there is uncertainty over the future. Not only is Klopp leaving, but van Dijk only has 1 year left on his current Liverpool deal.

What the Sounders must do in the near-, medium- and long-term.

The young defender is unable to celebrate his first Premier League goal

It can get worse. It’s very important to remember that things can always get worse. The reason why you need to keep that in mind is because when things are bad there’s the temptation to go nuclear and meltdown the entire thing. Instead of focusing on the next steps, self-perseveration and panic set in. Instead of being clear-minded, fear and trepidation take over.

Faith without works is dead. I’m not religious anymore, but this verse still has meaning for me. I was taught that the faith deserved the works and that’s just how you pleased god after you got the insurance of heaven.

The beauty of a moment can easily be lost depending on your perspective. Growing up, my mom was a boat captain. She ran a fishing charter business as a single mother and I'd often be spending a lot of time on the boat with her. Very early mornings and late nights as a kid who'd rather be playing video games or eating candy or whatever. As you can imagine, I wasn't always stoked to be out on the sea at a young age.

Sounders win fourth straight MLS game and fifth straight overall.

There’s no way around it: The loss to LAFC was a major setback.

The Sounders keep running into LAFC at the most frustrating times.