On the night of June 13, in the away locker room at Red Bull Arena – a cramped space whose floor was littered with balls of discarded tape and empty plastic water bottles – the Sounders aired every grievance.



Frustration had been simmering for a long while. The campaign had gone disastrously to that point, disheartening injuries outstripping goals scored.



“It felt like we just kept getting kicked when we were down,” forward Will Bruin said.



Really, the issues predated 2018.



For all of the club’s recent success, the inaugural MLS Cup title and back-to-back championship game appearances, there has also been a fair amount of turmoil. Coaches had been changed and the roster largely turned over, with players popular among fans and in the locker room being cut loose.



Winning papers over a lot of cracks, but that night in Harrison, New Jersey, following a 2-1 loss that was far more lopsided than the score suggested,...