Sounders suffer a cruel end to a magical season

Originally published November 30, 2014 at 10:05 PM | Page modified November 30, 2014 at 10:10 PM

John Lok / The Seattle Times

The ending was as cold as the 32-degree night. As their hated rival celebrated on a stage near midfield, the Sounders FC players and coaches trudged toward the locker room.

As usual, they applauded and waved at their loyal fans. Most of the 46,758 at CenturyLink Field remained even after the disappointment. Clint Dempsey took as much time as he could, lingering in the experience to take some sting out of defeat. But just as he entered the tunnel, the Los Angeles Galaxy party went to another level as gold confetti descended upon the Sounders' home turf.

The confetti should've been rave green.

Instead, the best of the Sounders' six MLS seasons closed with a loss in the Western Conference Final. It was a convoluted setback. The Sounders won the match Sunday 2-1, but the aggregate-goal series ended in a 2-2 tie, but the Galaxy advanced to the MLS Cup by virtue of the road-goal tiebreaker. After the Sounders took a 2-0 lead on goals by Brad Evans and Clint Dempsey in the first 32 minutes, the Galaxy managed the only road goal in this series in the 54th minute, as Juninho's shot from outside the box slipped past Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei, ricocheting off the post and landing in the net.

And that's how a great season ended. In a sport that specializes in cruel conclusions, this one was especially wicked.

There have been years in which the Sounders flamed out in the postseason or just flat weren't good enough. There have been years in which the team wasn't talented enough, or coach Sigi Schmid couldn't get the best out of a gifted roster. There have been years in which turmoil and drama ruined the team's promise. This season was different. This season was magical at times. From beginning to end, the Sounders were as consistent and cohesive as they've been in their six years.

They were so close to pulling off a special triple: U.S. Open Cup, Supporters' Shield, MLS Cup. They were so close to not only playing in their first MLS Cup, but hosting it and creating a memorable early December showcase for this soccer-crazed region. They'll have to settle for capturing two of the big three.

How good was this team? Schmid nearly chocked up as he talked about these Sounders. He wanted so badly for this to be the year, especially for the fans.

'It's disappointing because of the team we had and the season we had this year,' Schmid said.

A few minutes later, he added: 'There's nothing I want to do more than bring an MLS Cup to Seattle because the fans are deserving.'

And he concluded his postgame news conference by saying to the fan base: 'I just want to say thank you, and we're sorry. We want to win it for them. We really do.'

When it's possible to step back and look at the season in its entirety, the Sounders will be proud of the progress they made this season. They were a dynamic offensive team full of thrills, with Dempsey and MVP candidate Obafemi Martins leading the attack. Center back Chad Marshall was voted the league's best defender. DeAndre Yedlin became a superstar. Frei took charge as the new goalkeeper.

There will be an urge to consider this another Sounders postseason disappointment. But this season should be considered unlike the others. This was a true championship-caliber club, not a team hoping to win it, not a team with star power but lacking all the pieces.

It's another unsatisfying ending, but this season amounted to progress. The Sounders enter the offseason with fewer questions and great certainty, even though they must do some roster shuffling in 2015.

'I'm going to see it as a team that accomplished a helluva lot,' Schmid said. 'They were consistent from A through Z.

'We acquitted ourselves well in the playoffs. We acquitted ourselves well in this series.'

If only they could've been a little better Sunday. They weren't, however, and they died by the same road-goal tiebreaker that they used to advance in the first round.

'It was tough tonight,' Schmid said.

It was cold. The Sounders were as good, if not a little better, than the Galaxy. But L.A. is headed to its fourth MLS Cup in the past six seasons. Meanwhile, the Sounders are still trying to get to the championship round. It's the one thing left on an otherwise stellar six-year resume.

Of course, being deserving doesn't guarantee you anything in this sport. Unfortunately, on a chilly November night, the Sounders received that painful lesson one more time.

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com. On Twitter @JerryBrewer

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