Everybody look what's going down… in Seattle. So far in the young season I haven't taken very many opportunities, okay none, to talk about this club's early success. Seattle, your team has been kicking butt and taking names so this week my hat is off to you. A lot of their early success in their division is due in large part to the horrible time their opponents have had so far this year. They've also been aided by hot starts for the trio of Leighton O'Brien, Viet Nguyen, and Darren Sawatzky, Add in a dash of excellence during the first couple of games from Brian Ching and you've apparently got a recipe for a first place team.
As their season goes on things should not get any easier but at the moment all signs seem to point to the possibility of coasting, no pun intended, towards a division title. The bonus point, or bogus point as some fans have dubbed the point awarded to a team for scoring three goals in a match, system could bring at least one team close before it is all said and done. At the same time, though, in several matches with their division rivals it does not appear that any one team is quite ready to challenge the Sounders.
The Vancouver Whitecaps, now unburdened of certain off the field distractions, seem to be the most likely candidates to threaten the Sounders position. Yet, in head to head matches the Whitecaps have had little success against their rivals. Vancouver were forced to endure a pair of close losses (1-0 in overtime and 2-1) in their last two meetings after going through a 4-1 loss at the beginning of the season. Simply put, if the Whitecaps can't figure out a way to beat this team it seems highly unlikely any of the other teams in their division will. Let's be realistic, while Portland has many talented players they are yet to do much of anything in the young season and both El Paso and Calgary seem a little ill-equipped to challenge for top honors.
What about the teams that the Sounders will have to play that reside outside of their division? Well, they do have games against Milwaukee and Minnesota on their schedule that could prove to be difficult tests but then we also don't know quite how strong the Rampage and Thunder are quite yet. Those matches don't even appear on the Sounders schedule until later into the summer anyway so who else will they be taking on?
Well, how about playing against Cincinnati and Indiana? I know, it's nice work if you can get it but at the same time both the 'Hawks and the Blast are already fighting with the Pacific division for a playoff spot. So in some sort of odd way when the Sounders meet these two clubs they could do themselves and their rivals in the Pacific a favor if they are able to keep the two clubs from the Central from picking up some standings points. So does that mean that the other teams in the Pacific will be rooting on the Sounders when they face these two clubs? Not likely considering the rivalry between these clubs.
So what does it all add up to then? Well, for one thing it adds up to an eighteen-point lead in their division as of today. The pace this club has opened up the season with looks unlikely to be maintainable into the postseason but if they lock up their division early enough they might just get a chance to rest before the higher gears are needed for the playoffs. Either way, the Sounders are off to a remarkable start and they deserve some congratulations so, congratulations Seattle and best of luck. When the postseason comes around you might just need it.
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