After two hotly-contested playoff showdowns, the Sounders and FC Dallas meet in the conference semis for the third consecutive season starting Sunday at CenturyLink Field. And this series looks even less straightforward than the previous two.
Maybe the rubber match will finally produce a decisive victor.
The 2014 Western Conference semifinals between the Sounders and FC Dallas ended 1-1 after 180 minutes, with Seattle advancing courtesy of the away-goals tiebreaker used by MLS for two-game playoffs. Last year, in the same round, Seattle and FCD were deadlocked at three after two matches and extra time, Dallas finally prevailed in a penalty-kick shootout.