The Seattle Sounders are on quite the hot streak right now.
They've won their last three matches, are unbeaten in four, have gone 6-1-3 since changing head coaches and introducing Nicolas Lodeiro in late July, and have at long last climbed above the red line in the Western Conference. That impressive run of form has Seattle dreaming of keeping their unmatched streak of postseason qualifications alive, and maybe, just maybe, making a legitimate run at that elusive MLS Cup.
The problem for the Sounders is that they do not have enough to win it all. Not without Clint Dempsey.
It was announced earlier this week that Dempsey would not play again this season due to an irregular heartbeat, and that bit of news robs the Sounders of one of their veteran leaders and their most lethal scoring option. Dempsey had not been at his best or most productive this year due the stop-start nature of his campaign, but before being sidelined with his health condition (which he needs to take whatever time he needs to correct) he showed he still had plenty to offer.
After a solid showing at the Copa America Centenario with three goals for the US national team, the 33-year-old Dempsey demonstrated that he remains a viable threat up top upon his return to Seattle. He bagged a goal and an assist in his second game back, and then, once he started seeing the field consistently and found a rhythm, found the back of the net five times in three matches before the heart issue was detected.
It is true that the Sounders have fared well in recent weeks with Lodeiro and rookie forward Jordan Morris doing the heavy lifting in the attack. But turning things around to get into an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs spot is one thing. Beating top teams like FC Dallas, the Colorado Rapids or the LA Galaxy in the postseason without one of your best attackers is quite another.
The playoffs usually require marquee players to step up and deliver. Asking Morris and Lodeiro to shoulder the attacking burden over the course of a number of tightly-contested games and series without the help of another threat in the final third (and Designated Player Nelson Valdez hasn't proven he can be that) seems like a tall task.
The Sounders' remaining regular-season schedule is favorable, with matches coming up against the Vancouver Whitecaps (Sunday, 8 pm ET; FS1 in US, TSN2 in Canada) and Houston Dynamo. Still, hopes in Seattle appear to have a ceiling, not with only Lodeiro and Morris proving productive right now, and certainly not without Dempsey.
