SEATTLE — Nelson Valdez dropped to his knees, closed his eyes and pointed his fingers to the sky.
There was a brief second where it looked as if jubilant tears had joined the rain dripping down his face near the halfway line at CenturyLink Field. His head sunk as he knelt there motionless, too wrought with emotion to do anything else.
Teammates rushed in his direction and swallowed him up while he remained on the ground. If the moment felt surreal, it’s because it was.
Just minutes earlier, Valdez had headed home the game-winner in the Sounders’ 1-0 Western Conference Knockout Round win over Sporting Kansas City.