The Seattle Sounders keep climbing.
Following a convincing 2-0 victory over Real Salt Lake on Saturday, the Rave Green have risen to No. 1 and No. 2 in the MLSsoccer.com and ESPN.com power rankings, respectively.
The match against RSL marked Seattle's second consecutive win to open up the 2023 MLS regular season campaign. After carving apart the Colorado Rapids in transition on Matchday 1, the Sounders achieved a similar level of dominance against Salt Lake by controlling possession and breaking down the opponent with intricate passing.
"They’ve bullied their first two opponents and haven’t even gotten Raúl Ruidíaz into the starting lineup yet," wrote MLSsoccer.com's J. Sam Jones. "Not that that’s really been a concern. Heber has immediately thrived in Rave Green and the whole team has come out of the blocks firing on all cylinders."
Ryan Rosenblatt of ESPN echoed those sentiments, noting Seattle's red-hot start to the season appears to be a marker of a team with a point to prove.
"The 2-0 scoreline in their win over RSL did not do the Sounders justice," wrote Rosenblatt. "The haters had better savor last season's missed playoffs. Seattle is back."
The Sounders return to action on Saturday as they face their first road test of the year, traveling to take on Eastern Conference contenders FC Cincinnati (4:30 p.m. PT | Watch Free on Apple TV) at TQL Stadium.
