No way, San Jose | OneFootball

The Sounders defense thwarted all attacks as the Rave Green picked up another 3 points on the road. While that does tend to happen each season, here are some factors that make that a greater feat than usual.

The Sounders are playing away from Century Link as the grass is being set for the approaching World Cup, so they have an extended road trip.

Last season, the Sounders struggled on the road, only winning 5 times.

They picked up a second win this trip without some key players such as Jordan Morris, Pedro de la Vega and Yeimar. That is impressive on its own, but while in pursuit of more titles, they are also in between matches against Vancouver in the Concacaf tournament. That means they sat out many of their key players, at least for a half in some cases, but were able to rest a bit before Wednesday's game in Spokane.

Paul Rothrock scored again on a perfectly weighted ball from Jesus Ferreira that Minoungou let roll by him (he was coming from an offside position). With that said, it was the defense that won the day. It was the most cohesive defense that the Sounders have played in years. They shut down San Jose on dribble penetrations and it seemed as though Jackson Ragen was everywhere.

New players such as Petković contributed to the effort and Lopez, who cleared a bouncing ball that beaten keeper Andrew Thomas just in time also came up big in big moments.

Success on this road trip, would put the Sounders in a better position than they were in last season and if they can keep grinding out wins in the Concacaf games and before their key players start coming back next month. They look good so far, which is why the start of the season, when hopes are still high, is one of the most enjoyable parts of the season for all founds, not just hoisting cups which seems limited to a handful of teams. It does help that the Sounders have done their share of heavy lifting as they attempt to accumulate more cups.