Mark it seven. This was quite possibly their ugliest result of the seven-game win streak, but either way it counts as three points. More than that, it moved the Sounders into fifth place in the West, knocked the Timbers out of playoff position, ended a four-year winless run in Portland and was also the most significant test the Sounders have faced as of late.

There’s obviously still plenty left to go, but it’s certainly worth asking if the Sounders should now be considered an elite team and a serious cup contender?

This week's music: Sesame Street - "National Association of W Lovers", "RVIVR - "Ocean Song", Perry Como - "Seattle", RVIVR - “The Tide”, Woody Guthrie - "Roll On Columbia"

Thanks to James Woollard, Sounders Public Address Announcer, for doing our sponsor reads. You can follow him on Twitter at @BritVoxUS - if you're looking for a British Voice to advertise your business or non-profit, please reach out to him.

Want to hear the music from the show in their glorious, full versions? Check out the Nos Audietis playlist on Spotify!

Ok, now we are cooking. Since last we met, the Sounders have added six more points and are now riding a franchise-record tying five-game winning streak and are now unbeaten in eight, a span of games in which they’ve collected 20 of 26 points. As we record this, they are three points out of the sixth playoff spot with a game in hand on RSL and just four points shy of fourth-place LA Galaxy.

They got here courtesy of a rather amazing 2-1 win over Minnesota United in which they scored twice in stoppage time and then followed that up with a professional 2-1 win over Western Conference-leading FC Dallas. That last win is particularly notable because it’s the first win of this streak that doesn’t really need any qualifiers.

This week's music: RVIVR - "Ocean Song", Perry Como - "Seattle", RVIVR - “The Tide”, Woody Guthrie - "Roll On Columbia"

Thanks to James Woollard, Sounders Public Address Announcer, for doing our sponsor reads. You can follow him on Twitter at @BritVoxUS - if you're looking for a British Voice to advertise your business or non-profit, please reach out to him.

Want to hear the music from the show in their glorious, full versions? Check out the Nos Audietis playlist on Spotify!

It’s the dog days of summer so you know what that means, the Sounders are on another patented late-season run. Their 3-1 win over New York City FC closed out a nine-point week and they are now riding a six-game unbeaten streak that has seen them pull within five points of the final playoff spot. A week ago, they were 11 points behind the pace. Just to make things a bit more interesting, the rumors of Paolo Hurtado potentially joining the squad are as strong as ever, meaning they could be added another DP-level talent just in time for the stretch run.

Oh, and season ticket renewals just came out with small increases or in some cases, some decreases along with the announcement of all sorts of perks.

This week's music: RVIVR - "Ocean Song", Perry Como - "Seattle", RVIVR - “The Tide”, Woody Guthrie - "Roll On Columbia"

Thanks to James Woollard, Sounders Public Address Announcer, for doing our sponsor reads. You can follow him on Twitter at @BritVoxUS - if you're looking for a British Voice to advertise your business or non-profit, please reach out to him.

Want to hear the music from the show in their glorious, full versions? Check out the Nos Audietis playlist on Spotify!