SEATTLE — It didn’t go remotely as expected, but the Seattle Sounders ended up right where they wanted to be: With a bye into the Western Conference semifinals courtesy of a 2-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday.
The Sounders didn’t make it easy on themselves, falling behind 1-0 in the second half, but sent their 42,617 fans — the second largest of the season — home happy courtesy of a pair of Raúl Ruidíaz goals that both came in the final 15 minutes.
Aside from taking them from 11 points out in late June to a rather improbable first-round bye, the Sounders also set the MLS record for best half in a season by going 14-2-1 over the final 17 games.