Sounders Halftime Observations From Seattle’s Home Match Against Colorado, February 22nd, 2026
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - The first half of the Seattle Sounders FC season opener against the Colorado Rapids has been filled with VAR reviews, yellow cards, and plenty of head-scratching moments. Under the heavy rain of late February in the Pacific Northwest, it seemed the Sounders were out to a roaring start 17 minutes in, as Seattle was ahead by two goals. Hassani Dotson had just tapped in a rebound, seemingly giving the Federal Way native his first goal in a Rave Green kit, but a lengthy VAR review took that goal away. What ensued for the rest of the first half was comical, in perhaps the most MLS fashion an MLS match has ever been.
Jordan Morris leaves early
Mercer Island native and Sounders designated player Jordan Morris had to leave the match less than ten minutes in with an apparent injury. It’s not clear yet what the injury is, but Morris seemed to clearly know something was wrong as he went down to a sitting position and slammed the turf in frustration a few times before walking off the pitch under his own power. Paul Rothrock seemed to be warming up for a few minutes before Morris had to come out, signaling that Jordan may have already known something was wrong. The official word in the press box is that he left the match with a thigh injury.
It’s obviously difficult for Jordan, considering his injury history, but even more so knowing about the post on Instagram that Morris shared earlier today. Morris detailed how last season was the “most difficult” of his career, “from starting on such a high, to the roller coaster of trying to stay on the field, mentally it was a big challenge.” It’s hard to truly know what an athlete goes through with injuries, from the recovery and the work it takes to try to get back, so there is clear sympathy for Jordan right now.
Officiating slows down the match
Seattle’s lead could be doubled in this first half, as Hassani Dotson had a goal in the 18th minute called back due to a foul issued to Jesus Ferreira in the buildup of the play after VAR. The fact that a foul was called in the first place is confusing, especially knowing that the foul likely should’ve been assessed to Osaze De Rosario instead if you’re going to call anything. Even then, De Rosario’s header attempt collides with a Rapids player, which shouldn’t be enough of an issue to take a goal back. Dotson had done everything right, being a great place to tap home a rebound after Colorado goalkeeper Zack Steffen made a save off a rocket of a volley attempt by Alex Roldan, but his first goal as a Sounder will now have to wait.
A sequence around the 39th minute saw Paul Rothrock taken down in what seemed like a denial of a goal-scoring opportunity from Rapids defender Lucas Herrington right as the Sounders winger entered the box. In the minutes after, Seattle midfielder Albert Rusnák was taken out in the air going for a header by Colorado winger Dante Sealy, who was assessed a yellow card.
The officiating in this first half has been questionable at best, from the two lengthy VAR reviews, the automatic red downgraded to a yellow after one of them, and the missed calls where you’d have thought it was more clear than what was actually booked. Here’s to hoping we don’t have to deal with more stoppages like these in the upcoming second half.
Paul Rothrock shows well
Coming into this season off his new contract with the Sounders, emphatically stating his love for the club and city after rumors of big deals with other clubs, it’s no surprise that Paul Rothrock begins the 2026 campaign strong. Rothrock’s signature hustle ensured that Albert Rusnák’s goal happened in the first place, keeping the ball in play before a rocket of a cross into the box. It was a massive deal to bring back Rothrock after the past few seasons he’s put together in Seattle, and it’s great to see him help the Sounders start the season as quickly as they did. Unfortunate how he ended up getting into the match, but it's great to see him show strong form right away.
What’s next?
In the second half, it’ll be interesting to see if Seattle can recapture the sort of momentum that they had to begin this match before the officiating stoppages derailed it. For the Rapids, you have to wonder if Colorado will be able to find any sort of footing, considering that they’re only trailing by a goal. We’ll have to wait until after the match to learn more about the injuries to Jordan Morris and Hassani Dotson, and even in the post-match press conference, Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer may not yet know the extent of the two players' ailments. In addition to Morris being listed as having a thigh injury, Hassani Dotson’s injury was declared a head injury.
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