SEATTLE — The final whistle blew and the party began. The team booted neon soccer balls into the celebrating throng of fans as a graphic splashed across the big screen celebrating the achievement. While Real Salt Lake slunk off the field, the Seattle Sounders embraced, pumped fists, doled out forceful high-fives.
Three months ago the Sounders sat in ninth place in the Western Conference. Today, they’re in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Seattle 2. Real Salt Lake 1.
What once seemed so Herculean became reality on Sunday, but the Sounders left it late. A win in any of Seattle’s final three games of the season assured them a postseason spot, but they drew and lost the first two.