If the Sounders don’t make the playoffs, is the season a failure?

There’s only one more chance for the Sounders to make sure they’re not watching the playoffs at home on the couch in 2016. Sure, a couple of other results could decide their fate, but counting on another team to lose to save them is a poor approach. The Sounders have gone on a phenomenal run since Sigi Schmid was fired as head coach in late July, but after all that hard work, what happens if they still miss the playoffs? Can we still consider this season a success and interim coach Brian Schmetzer a miracle worker?

It’s impossible to discount the excellent run that the Sounders have gone on since Schmetzer’s takeover, which has shown that his coaching style can inspire players to do great things. The things that the club have been able to do in the last few months are nothing short of incredible, but it’s hard to think that a failure to reach the playoffs would overshadow that run.

Against the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday, the Sounders had a chance to secure a spot in the 2016 MLS Cup playoffs and cap off the phenomenal run that started when Schmetzer took over in late July. They couldn’t find the net at home against the team at the bottom of the table, though, so their fate would have to wait.

The team headed to Dallas short a few key players on Sunday but fully capable of getting at least a point. The Sounders were actually winning at one point thanks to Nicolas Lodeiro’s stunning free kick, but they foolishly lost the lead and eventually the game. Sure, Dallas is now the best team in the league, but the Sounders were winning 1-0 for nearly 40 minutes. Another missed opportunity to cement their place above the red line.

Something I’ve praised the Sounders under Schmetzer is their ability to find ways to win when it seemed like they had none at their disposal. Against Dallas, the Sounders were out-possessed (they had just under 40 percent of possession), outshot (14-7) and out-passed (81 percent for Dallas, 65 percent for Seattle). The Sounders haven’t been dominated in those areas lately, but they’ve usually managed to overcome it when they do.

Against Chicago at the end of September, the stats were rather tight. The Sounders barely edged the Fire in shots and shots on target, though they did control possession well. But early in the season, that was the kind of match that would have ended 0-0 or a tight 1-0 late loss. But they found the goal from a set piece thanks to Chad Marshall and walked away with three points. The following weekend, they traveled to Vancouver and were rocked from the start. An early penalty for the home team set the tone, but Seattle pushed and pushed despite being short a number of starting players. Osvaldo Alonso’s goal before halftime saved the Sounders’ blushes, but the late penalty from Brad Evans gave Seattle three points in a match in which they probably deserved just one.

So is the loss in Dallas a fluke or an understandable result against the top team in the league? Or is it a hint at a crack in Schmetzer’s style and philosophy that could widen over time? I don’t think the loss itself is particularly incriminating of the coach, but rather an unfortunate result thanks to a number of player absences and a very good opponent. I think it showed some weaknesses – inability to hold a lead, lack of discipline – that need to be fixed. But the result in Dallas alone is not a reason to panic or not give Schmetzer the full-time gig as head coach next season.

Next weekend’s final match of the season could decide everything. Bar a favorable result elsewhere, anything less than a win against Real Salt Lake this Sunday officially kills the momentum that the Sounders have been building since July. It could mean that those cracks we saw in Dallas are far worse than we realized. While I think that Schmetzer should probably get the job regardless of the Sounders’ playoff status, the club’s front office might think otherwise. This is a club with an image and a record to maintain. Schmid’s departure showed that anything less than success is unacceptable.

There could be much more than just a playoff spot at stake on Sunday, and Brian Schmetzer is surely aware of that.

Spenser Davis also covers the Sounders for Sounder at Heart.