As the Seattle Sounders gear up for their record 12th consecutive MLS Cup Playoffs appearance, let’s take a look back at the 12 key storylines from this strange and challenging year.
João Paulo signs
Fresh off winning their second MLS Cup title in four seasons, the Sounders wasted no time reloading by adding the Brazilian João Paulo to a Designated Player contract. The 29-year-old joined from Botafogo, the same club for which captain Nicolás Lodeiro played from 2012-14, and made an immediate impact. João Paulo is a commanding two-way central midfielder who would go on to finish this season with two goals and five assists, finish seventh in MLS Newcomer of the Year voting, be one of the league’s best passers and help free up Lodeiro en route to the Uruguayan being named an MLS MVP finalist.
Preseason trip to Mexico
The Sounders began their season early with a trip to Mexico in order to prepare for the upcoming Concacaf Champions League. While in Mexico, the team was joined by its second big offseason acquisition, Yeimar Gómez Andrade, who signed from Argentina First Division side Unión de Santa Fe. The hulking Colombian center back stepped right into a Sounders team in need of a center back after the departures of Chad Marshall, Kim Kee-hee and Román Torres. Yeimar started 19 of the Sounders’ 22 matches, scoring twice and an adding an assist while helping anchor the Western Conference’s best defensive team.
Concacaf Champions League
The Sounders came out flying in Honduras in their first round CCL matchup at CD Olimpia, with João Paulo and Jordan Morris giving Seattle a 2-0 lead. But Olimpia would score twice to equalize later in the match and send the series to Seattle tied 2-2. The teams drew 2-2 in the second leg as well, forcing penalties where the Sounders fell 4-2 to end their campaign.
Jordan Morris steals the MLS opener
On short rest for their MLS season-opener following their CCL exit, the Sounders rotated their lineup and went down to the Chicago Fire 1-0 just after halftime. But Morris saved the day, coming on as a second-half substitute to record a brace, including a stoppage-time winner, and take all three points at CenturyLink Field.
MLS Shutdown/Sounders FC Classics
As the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread across the United States, MLS shut down for four months. During this unprecedented time, Sounders FC filled the air with Sounders FC Classics, a series which re-aired some of the best matches in club history.
MLS is Back
Another first in league history, MLS created the MLS is Back tournament, a FIFA World Cup-style tourney in a “bubble” in Orlando, Fla., to restart the season in July following the long shutdown. After three group stage matches, Seattle advanced to the Round of 16 but fell to LAFC 4-1.
Regular-Season Resurgence
Following that disappointing early exit from the MLS is Back tournament, the Sounders got back to winning ways, highlighted by two huge wins over the Portland Timbers and LAFC by a combined score of 6-1.
San Jose Smackdown
The apex of Seattle’s season came on Sept. 10, when the Sounders set a franchise record with a 7-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes. The match was the first in a string of five wins in six games, as the Sounders entered the race for the top seed in the West.
Portland Losses
The lone loss in Seattle’s aforementioned six-game stretch was to the Timbers, who also beat Seattle in the match prior to San Jose.
MLS Cup Winners Return
The Sounders saw the return of 2019 MLS Cup starters Brad Smith and Torres just 11 days apart in September. Smith, whose 18-month loan in Seattle ended last season, signed a permanent deal with the club after his contract with English side AFC Bournemouth expired. The Sounders reacquired Torres after a trade with fellow MLS club Inter Miami, with whom Torres joined following last season.
Postponements
The Sounders had two postponed matches this season, the first coming in August when their scheduled match with the LA Galaxy was shelved following a player vote to shine light on inequality across the United States. The match was eventually played on Nov. 4, in the Sounders’ penultimate match of the season. Seattle also saw its Oct. 14 match against the Colorado Rapids postponed, and never rescheduled, after a series of positive COVID-19 tests within the Rapids’ camp.
Decision Day
The Sounders entered Decision Day against the San Jose Earthquakes with a home playoff match already guaranteed, but their ultimate seeding in the top four to be determined. Seattle blitzed San Jose in the second half en route to a massive 4-1 win. The Sounders finished second in the Western Conference for the fourth consecutive season and set up a huge Round One collision with LAFC in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
