For the third season in a row, the Seattle Sounders have qualified for the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs as the No. 2 seed out of the Western Conference. In each of the last three seasons, the team reached the Western Conference Semifinals, with the Rave Green advancing all the way to the MLS Cup Final in 2016 and 2017.
That was all under the previous format, in which teams played two-legged fixtures, with aggregate scoring and away goals determining the winner. This year the league has moved to a single-elimination format, in which the higher-seeded team hosts, placing even greater importance on the regular season.