They have taken different paths over the past four years, with a variety of story lines and talking points, disparate hurdles to clear and slumps to overcome.
But the Sounders hope they are once again on one of those runs, the patented late-season flurries, that have marked the Brian Schmetzer era.
This was a season that at times looked limitless, and at times looked hopeless. After a particularly galling loss in the midst of a series of them, Schmetzer called his team “dysfunctional.” And in August, when the success of this season was still hanging in the balance, he was moved to exhort them with a reminder to all – players and supporters alike – of the tradition that existed.