The Sounders lose without losing

It is said that Americans love the underdog. For Seattle and Minnesota, the underdog was the higher ranked Loons. They were the underdogs because they set up a shell on defense and rely on the official to bail out their offense to falling for the staple of the attack, the dive. Minnesota's first 2 goals came after questionable calls, and all 3 of them were off of set pieces that Brian Schmetzer referred to as "soft goals" after the match. Most fans don't want to see a team that drops in a shell win because it lacks the talent to build an attack. It irks soccer purists when the team that relies on luck wins over a team that has talent, and plays well together.

The Sounders had the deeper, more talented team, but as Albert Rusnak explained, "It wasn't meant to be." The Sounders had the better chances and were on the front foot. They even played a man up after a Minnesota player received a straight red card after headbutting Jesus Ferreira.

Unfortunately for the Sounders, they had a second year when they won a trophy earlier in the season before having a disappointing end to the Season. To their credit, when the won the CONCACAF title, they failed to make the playoffs for the only time in the team's history. This year, they scored 7 goals and didn't lose a game, only to go out on PK's twice. The Sounders did have 2 shots in the shootout to win and advance, but found their attempts lacking.

Albert Rusnak continued his string of strong performances as he led the Sounders in an effort that came up just short. An inch here or there and the game could have been dramatically different. There wasn't a player for the Rave Green that played poorly, and they created multiple chances in front of the net. Minnesota was lucky, but it is unclear how often they can be lucky before their season is also cut short.

After being named to top 11 team, Christian Roldan put in another strong performance and will be joining up with the USMNT in their upcoming games. The defense played well, the ball moved through the lines quickly and there were several quality finishes... just one short of what was needed.

After the game Brian Schmetzer told reporters "This is the toughest loss that I have experienced with this club... We gave it away." Schmetzer has been with the club since well before it entered the MLS. Schmetzer pulled all the strings he had, subbing in attacking players Ryan Kent, Osaze De Rosario, and Georgi Minoungou as well as subbing in Andrew Thomas for Stefan Frei near the end of regulation. The unusual keeper substitution almost backfired when Thomas dislocated his finger on his first save attempt. He did manage multiple saves once they popped his finger back into place and heavily taped his finger.

As the Sounders start looking toward next season, contracts need to be signed, with several players weighing their options about where they want to be next season. For now, they are licking their wounds and it will be interesting to see if the Sounders are as deep and as talented next season (and hopefully healthier).