On a balmy 37° afternoon in St. Paul, Minnesota, the Seattle Sounders had nearly 70 percent of the ball, took 11 shots, won seven corners, kept another clean sheet, and still left feeling like the attack spent 90 minutes staring at a lane closure sign in an utter slog of a match. Once again, it was the Minnesota United Loons who dropped into a defensive shell for much of the game, seemingly determined to not be embarrassed for a second match in a row. It’s debatable whether they succeeded. To gain a home point, they sacrificed entertaining soccer in favor of a low block. On the flip side, the Sounders were organized, mature, and mostly in control, but this was a whole lot of possession without much destination. Alex Roldan’s early exit forced a reshuffle, Jordan Morris returned, and the 0-0 final score matched the vibe: cold, slow, and frustrating. 

Bus stop: Another road point and another shutout is good business, especially with Seattle still living away from Lumen for this opening stretch. The structure held up, our keeper answered the moments that mattered, and the back line looked comfortable grinding through an ugly one.

Traffic jam: Possession was...