The Seattle Sounders are now the Seattle Flounders. They were shown up by their West Coast counterparts, the LA Galaxy last weekend. Yes, the 4-0 loss was in front of a record number of fans at home. An embarrassing loss no doubt to the team that they so fondly hope to usurp but made ludicrous by the fact that their GM wants to refund the fans their money.
Lets put this in perspective. It does not speak well for MLS goalscoring, when results such as this lead to instant mortification. If this was the case then teams like Wigan, Blackburn, Stoke, Burnley, and even Everton would never get up in the morning. Or would be without serious gate money.
It also does not speak well for the MLS when an expansion team with barely a year in the league entertains title aspirations. Getting spoiled so quickly after such a debut season is never good. But having an egalitarian pool of talent spread over the league has the effect of creating a uniformity in expectations.
If Andre Hanauer is driven by declining attendances then he is best rid of the hail fellow, well met type of fan that he is concerned about. The Toon army support their club no matter what. And there is a lot of no matter what as far as that club is concerned.
Lets hope Hanauer’s is a one off aberration. Penalizing the club’s players is not smart. In reality, a league is best served by mythic losses and victories.