In the span of 11 frantic, season-altering minutes on Sunday, the Seattle Sounders went from in the playoffs, to a few points inside the red line, to clutching onto their playoff hopes for dear life. How quickly things can change in the crucible of the MLS season’s latter stages.
The Sounders grabbed an early 1-0 lead through a beautifully worked Nicolas Lodeiro free kick in the first half. At that point, Seattle was in the playoffs, no questions asked. They took that edge into the 79th minute, edging ever closer to a postseason berth that seemed impossible two months ago, when Maxi Urruti beat Stefan Frei from in close on a free kick rebound.