Photo by Jack Hunter

One thing is clear after the Sounders thrilling 2-1 Open Cup victory last night over DC United: We obviously have a bipolar team.

Last night's performance was everything that the Sounders could be: charged, skilled, unified, on the attack. We outhustled, outshot, and outplayed DC—and not the tired, exhausted DC in the middle of Champs League and MLS, but an equally fired-up squad on their home turf.

Last night's Sounders were not the same team that tied to Toronto at home the week before; nor the team that lost to New England and San Jose; nor the team that hasn't scored at home since July 11.

Psychological imbalance is the only conclusion I've been able to reach.

Let's look at some of the theories that could explain this:

• Ljungberg's Theory. Quoted after tying Toronto: "Like I said before, it’s a new franchise, a lot of the players are not used to to the pressure that comes from the playoffs.” That sounds reasonable, but doesn't explain last night.

• The Performance Anxiety Theory. A variation of Ljungberg's theory: There's a lot of pressure to succeed in front of 30,000 fans, and they're buckling under it. This explains their current performance, but not their performance at the beginning of the season, when home games ensured victory.

• The Underdog Theory: The Sounders simply rise to the challenge against tough opponents—evident in their efforts against Houston, LA, and DC. Against TFC, SJ and NER, they take the games for granted. They fizzle when they're not underdogs.

*The Skill Theory: "Face it," the skill theory says, "this is an MLS team. They just don't have the skill to play competitively. They lost to Barcelona 4-0 ." Aside from the fact that most teams lose to Barcelona 4-0, I think that theory sank against DC, and has been deflated for half the games.

• The Depth Theory: Along with the question of skill is the question of depth: Although we have a number of excellent players on the squad, that number is small. We don't have a B Squad. After the 15th player, skills drops precipitously. The Sounders won last night without starting defenders Marshall and Hurtado, using Wahl and Ianni instead, as well as Vagenas in center mid. Jaqua sat out for the more deserving LeToux (it baffles me that he doesn't start regularly). We don't yet have a B Squad, but our non-regulars made the game last night.

• The Saving It for When It Matters Theory: The Sounders could have beaten San Jose, New England, Toronto and the rest, but, y'know, those games just didn't matter. We aren't in a "must win" situation yet, and the Sounders wait until it's a "must win," like the match against DC. But as the playoffs approach, fewer wins make every subsequent game a must win.

Six different possible explanations. By the time we figure it out, the season will be well over. I just hope that last night's match was a turning point.