Standing on the edge of greatness is hard. There is both a power and fear that consumes your head. Aggression and confidence flood the mind. Mistakes become common. Often an entity standing on greatness fails. The nearly great are forgotten. They get obscure academic papers written about them as their society or team crumbles around them.

The great? They get a failure or two, but they overcome.

They define themselves. They assert themselves. The great take the stage in front of those that would support and those that would doubt and they make the amazing realty.

On Wednesday night the amazing did not become real. A team, a representation of city and region failed. Failures stretched from those inserted into as a rare starter to regulars that did not perform.

You Seattle Sounders FC had the opportunity to be great. Tonight, and during the last match, you failed. Every one of you in Green-Blue-Green failed. This was likely worse than the "refund game." Tonight, the expectation was victory, a resounding declaration of power and potency should be echoing from Occidental to Brougham to King. Instead, the bars nearby are places of sorrow.

This was failure.

Greatness can come later, but the times of trophies major and minor are likely gone. Crap defenses with keeping mistakes don't win trophies. Attacks that miss their passes. Those off the ball rarely ran where the man with the ball thought they would be.

Scorelines don't matter so late in the season. Results do. These past two results ...

That's failure. Other teams, other supporters, other fans may be used to this. We're not. We're Sounders. Failure is not acceptable. It is not the norm. It can not be what defines 2013.

Be better.