The most glaring symptom of the Seattle Sounders’ struggles in 2022 was their penchant for one-goal losses. It wasn’t so much that the Sounders were awful last year — evidenced by their +1 goal-difference — it was their rather galling ability to grind out results.
Of their 17 losses a year ago, 15 were by just a single goal. For the season, the Sounders ended up finishing 7-15-5 in games decided by one goal or less for an average of .96 points per game. Their struggles were particularly acute on the road, where 11 of 12 losses were by one goal and they only had two ties.