The day in Seattle professional sports: Sunday, November 3rd, 2024
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA – As we head back to daylight savings time and the weather heads towards the gray skies and moist conditions that many know Seattle for, we get less and less actual game activity from Seattle’s eight professional sports teams and lean more on offseason news for the vast majority of them while the Kraken and Seahawks are in the thick of their respective seasons. Today, Sunday, November 4th, 2024, provided an intriguing mixture of news from positive to negative as two of the three teams in action fell in regular season play while the Sounders punched their ticket to the Western Conference Semifinals with a dramatic victory and two Mariners earned Gold Glove honors. Sorted by weight, essentially which things mattered the most in terms of achievement or postseason, here’s a brief overview of what took place with Seattle’s professional sports teams today!
Sounders: Penalty shootout drama sees them on to the next round.
What did they do today? Our Seattle Sounders FC defeated the Houston Dynamo on the road in a dramatic penalty shootout, just like game one of this best-of-three first round series to begin the MLS Cup Playoffs, that saw things go into sudden death before Stefan Frei made a key stop on Houston’s Tate Schmitt to give the Sounders the victory in round seven of the shootout. This match at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston was very similar to match one up in Seattle at Lumen Field as in both contests the Dynamo had a player lose their cool and do something foolish to earn a red card, giving the Sounders a man advantage from the 66th minute on. In both matches, Seattle failed to get a decisive winner and had to be perfect in the penalty shootout to get the victory. At least in this match two the Sounders scored, as Cristian Roldan calmly deposited a goal into the far corner from the middle of the box off an assist from Nouhou in the 87th minute, but it wasn’t all good as the Dynamo equalized six minutes later in stoppage time as a ball into the box went off Cristian Roldan and into the Seattle goal. In short, the Sounders have shown their defensive prowess in these two games against Houston but a lack of finishing and capitalizing on mistakes saw them forced to go into decisive penalty shootouts. That sort of thing won’t fly through the rest of the postseason, whether it’s against either LAFC or Vancouver, as Seattle will face one of them in the next round.
What’s next for them? The Sounders have some time before their next match of the playoffs, as the date and kickoff times are yet to be determined until the completion of the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The semifinal round won’t begin until the 23rd of November due to an international window approaching, with this year's schedule pushing things back due to Leagues Cup play, so there is plenty of time to get fully healthy ahead of a potential added chapter against LAFC this year or a Cascadia Clash in the postseason against the Whitecaps. In the post-match press conference following tonight’s win, head coach Brian Schmetzer said that both Jordan Morris (hamstring) and Albert Rusnák (hip) should be good to go for the next round of the playoffs, as they both missed this win over the Dynamo. Seattle certainly has the talent and potential to do damage in this year's playoffs, but execution is a major key and that hasn’t always been their strength over the past few seasons in the big moments.
Mariners: Raleigh and Moore earn Gold Glove honors
What did they do today? While the Mariners are in their offseason after falling just a game short of the postseason for the second straight year, after a 2022 season and playoff run that had many thinking things were finally turning up for the franchise, they did have a few players who stood out despite being on a team that blew a ten-game lead in the AL West. Catcher Cal Raleigh and “super” utility player Dylan Moore both won the American League Rawlings Gold Glove award at their respective positions, with Raleigh becoming the first Mariners catcher ever to win a Gold Glove and Moore earning the Gold Glove for the utility position. Cal winning the award, his first career Gold Glove, is no surprise as he’s a two-time finalist and was arguably the best defensive catcher in baseball this season. Stories of Cal’s work ethic, toughness, and drive to be great have come often through the first three years of his MLB career, and one that will exemplify why he won this award will be how he went to work on his framing with Austin Hedges, a defensive mastermind at the catcher position, this past season while coming off being a finalist for this same award. Raleigh could’ve been happy with the fact that he came up short and just done the same things, but instead he went to work talking to catchers around the league to improve himself. Moore had a career year in multiple categories, but notably saw the most game action he’s ever had due to the injury stints that J.P. Crawford had at the shortstop position. While not always perfect at the plate, Moore provided a steady presence for the Mariners while filling in for Crawford. Moore did again display his power throughout the course of the season and his ability to fill in wherever (except catcher, for now) has been invaluable for Seattle, so it’s cool to see “DMO” recognized for his 2024 campaign.
What’s next for them? The Mariners and the rest of baseball are now in the early stages of the offseason following the Los Angeles Dodgers winning the World Series (Congratulations to former Mariners Teoscar Hernández, James Paxton, Taylor Trammell, and Yohan Ramirez who should all get rings for their involvement with the Dodgers this past season), as roster moves are being made ahead of the Rule 5 draft in December, options have to be decided on, and some trades are taking place. Seattle hasn’t done anything crazy just yet, as they declined the option on Jorge Polanco, Luis Urías opted for free agency, and we all await Mitch Haniger’s decision on his player option, but you never know what Seattle might cook up with Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander at the helm. Here’s to hoping I get to write up some exciting trades and signings this winter that will help make the Mariners a playoff team in 2025.
Seahawks: Ugly and sloppy loss to Rams leaves Seattle at crucial point in season
What did they do today? Our Seattle Seahawks played an ugly game just like the Kraken did, but we’ll focus firstly on the Emerald Cities NFL team because this is a game that’s close to the trade deadline and features an NFC West opponent. Considering those factors, noting that George Fant was returning from injury and seemingly providing reinforcement at the right tackle position, plus the hope that the Seahawks were going to be able to pull themselves together in a key situation against a Rams team that will push them further down in the standings if they fail, I had some optimism that Mike MacDonald’s team was going to be able to find some bounce back with this game at home. That wasn’t at all the case, as the Seahawks played a horribly sloppy and undisciplined game, Fant was re-injured early into the contest, and the despite all this the Rams couldn’t beat Seattle until overtime with a walk off touchdown pass from Matt Stafford to Demarcus Robinson. The Seahawks played like an incomplete team for most of the first half, as two touchdowns in a span of 51 seconds before halftime got them right back into it, but a failure to pull themselves ahead and stay there ultimately hurt Seattle and failure in execution in the fourth quarter and overtime had them facing another loss at home this season.
What’s next for them? Following this loss, our Seattle Seahawks thankfully have a bye week to look at to help them get out of game action so that they can hopefully get healthier and look at themselves in the mirror following some frustrating defeats. Some of the issues that Seattle is facing, undisciplined play, sloppy execution, lack of maturity, may not be fixable during this bye week, but if the Seahawks are going to complete for a postseason spot or even if the division is still winnable then they must find some solutions to the multiple issues they’re currently facing as a unit. It won’t get any easier or more forgiving for the Hawks after they get through the bye week as they’ll head down to Santa Clara and Levi Stadium for another NFC West battle against the 49ers. Seattle’s divisional foe will potentially be getting superstar running back Christian McCaffrey back for this game while the Seahawks could be getting offensive tackle Abraham Lucas fully back from injury, so it’ll be intriguing to watch injury statuses for both teams heading into that matchup in two weeks. And when it comes to the NFL trade deadline, I doubt that Seattle will make any further moves after the under the radar acquisitions that they’ve made. I’d happily be proven wrong, though.
Kraken: Shootout defeat in Boston adds further frustration to the weekend
What did they do today? The Kraken, playing in the fourth game of their five-game road trip and second game of a back-to-back, looked lifeless for the vast majority of their Sunday afternoon game against the Boston Bruins at the TD Garden. For the second straight game on this brutal back-to-back, Seattle was shutout as their offensive play continues to look like boom or bust following their 8-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens at the start before three straight poor showings since then. Things started horrifically as the Bruins scored twice in the first period thanks to a tip in front of Joey Daccord by Justin Brazeau and then a Charlie Coyle goal as he stick handled around Daccord on the power play. All of that came before Seattle had even registered a shot, as Daccord had all he could in net but his skaters in front couldn’t do much at all to swing momentum in their team's favor, as has been the case for Kraken goaltenders. Seattle somehow survived the first period without giving up more goals, and the Kraken really didn’t see any semblance of an attacking push until a power play in the dying moments of the middle frame and in the third period. It was another case of too little, too late and the sort of performance that very well could get some players benched.
What’s next for them? Following this ugly, frustrating defeat to the Bruins in Boston, our Seattle Kraken have one more game left on the road trip before returning home when they finish things off against a familiar foe in the Colorado Avalanche. It’ll be a difficult contest for the Kraken considering the offensive slump that they’re in, which is pretty damn big considering you’ve been shutout in back-to-back games for the first time in your existence as a franchise, and especially so considering that the Avalanche have the stars that Seattle doesn’t even though Colorado has been bad to begin the 2024-25 campaign. Goaltending and general defending has been an issue for the Avalanche to begin the season, but don’t expect that to matter if the Kraken show up playing at all like we’ve seen them play throughout the course of this road trip following the bevy of goals against the Canadiens. Also, don’t be shocked if head coach Dan Byslma shakes things up and healthy scratches a veteran. With AHL affiliate Coachella Valley also in town for a divisional battle against the Colorado Eagles, “reinforcements” aren’t far if the head coach wants to make a swap.
Storm: Jordan Horston continues to hoop
What did they do today? This game happened on November 2nd, so it’s yesterday but we’re going to throw it in with today’s news since it took place late last night. While there are more than a handful of Storm players taking their talents to different competitions for the WNBA offseason, the only one in action today was Jordan Horston, who has looked good playing for the Tokomanawa Queens down in New Zealand with her girlfriend and fellow Tennessee Lady Vol alum, Tamari Key. Horston performed well in Tokomanawa’s loss to Pouākai. Pouākai used an 18-0 run late and took advantage of questionable shot selection late by the Queens, but Jordan’s performance was our main focus. Horston recorded a stat line of 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists, flirting with a triple double. Horston’s comfort has stood out as a big factor in her performances this offseason, as her confidence has only built over her two seasons in the WNBA and as she’s fully healthy for the first time in a bit.
What’s next for them? While the Storm as a franchise remain in the WNBA offseason with the expansion draft and free agency looming, many Seattle’s players are doing something in the offseason to improve their game. Whether that’s going overseas or staying stateside for competitions in the offseason such as Athletes Unlimited or Unrivaled, our Seattle Storm beat writer Christan Braswell did a great job of compiling a piece on where you can track and watch these players to support them during their offseason. Click here to look into that and check out the Storm tab of our articles section to read more about the Seattle players and what they’re up to in the offseason.
Inactive teams: Reign, Seawolves, Orcas
Three of Seattle’s eight professional sports teams were inactive today when it comes to any sort of news, and it makes sense since none of them are currently actively playing, and their respective off-season's are all at relative dead periods. The Reign are the closest to anything really happening, as they’re just a day removed from finishing the 2024 regular season with a defeat to the NWSL’s Shield winner in the Orlando Pride. The Reign do have the closest thing to an event coming up of these three inactive teams, as local media will hear from head coach Laura Harvey and general manager Lesle Gallimore for exit interviews during this upcoming week. The Seawolves have been making a few off-season signings every other week or so, trying to reload to push themselves over the hump after falling just short in the MLR title match twice in the past three seasons. We should hear in the next month or two about their 2025 season schedule. With the Orcas, things remain quiet and it’s tough in regard to offseason news for them considering that their season is so short.
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