The New England Revolution will look to end the 2026 campaign strong as it plays its last seven games of the season. The first test will come up against the Seattle Sounders.

Seattle is usually the crown jewel of the league but has struggled in 2026. Injuries have run rampant and have caused the Western Conference kings to have an up-and-down season.

But now that they are healthier, the Sounders are on a three-game winning streak and have gone eight games unbeaten. Revolution head coach Marko Mitrovic noted that Seattle is a team that is always tough to play against.

“Seattle Sounders is probably one of those teams in the league that nobody likes to play," Mitrovic said. "They are a team that, somehow, over the last years, always has that end-of-the-season form where they kind of find their feet, start getting great results, and get into great form before the end of the season. I think they are a team that really accepts circumstances on the field. Whether they are with the ball or without the ball, or whatever is happening on the field, I think the team has good behavior and a lot of experience. And obviously, with experience comes quality and how to handle situations. I'm really happy and excited to see how we're going to face that challenge on Saturday.”

Dejan Joveljić has helped Seattle turn the season around since joining from Sporting KC. The Serbian has scored seven goals since joining Seattle and 11 throughout all of 2026.

Albert Rusnák has also been a key piece in 2026. It is the forward's second season in Seattle, and he has been creating goal-scoring chances regularly. Rusnák has four goals and 11 assists in MLS play.

"I think now they have so many players coming back from injury because they didn't give up on who they are, and now they have more quality on the field automatically," Mitrovic added. "Their level of their game raised and then they got results from that. So, I think the biggest change is that they have players available to play.”

But Seattle is also aware of the challenge that New England presents. Seattle head coach Brian Schmetzer was quick to praise Carles Gil and Mitrovic.

“Marko [Mitrović’s] done a good job," Schmetzer said. "Gil is like fine wine; he keeps getting better."

While Gil and the attack will get a lot of attention, the backline is an area to watch on Saturday night. Without Mamadou Fofana, it will be interesting to see how Ethan Kohler performs.

Additionally, it will be interesting to see how this impacts the outside backs. Will they be forced to be less aggressive in the attack without a top-tier defender such as Fofana?

Seattle's attack is capable of racking up goals. Alongside Joveljić and Rusnák, Cristian Roldan is always reliable, and Sebastian Gomez has been in fine form lately.

Saturday's matchup will be an interesting look at how New England measures up against Western Conference opposition. The Real Salt Lake performance was difficult to measure due to the absences caused by the international window but Seattle is a much better team.

But considering the fact that Peyton Miller, Dor Turgeman, and Brooklyn Raines have returned, this is a match the Revs should be winning as a top team in the East.