Sporting Kansas City will face the Portland Timbers in the Western Conference Championships next weekend. For Peter Vermes and his side, this is the closest they have come to an MLS Cup since they won it in 2013, beating Real Salt Lake on penalties.
For a team that has largely succeeded in the regular season since, making the playoffs in every single year, their postseason record has been shambolic, losing four-straight knockout-round matches.
This year, though, Sporting KC secured the number one seed in the West and entered the playoffs in far finer fettle than they ever had before.