Along with clearing the red line, the Seattle Sounders have joined the crew of "playoff favorites." Those two statements may seem correlated, and one may even struggle to describe how they're different. But...
The Sounders' success over their first eight seasons has been assisted by the lack of successful sporting competition, as the Mariners have been mostly terrible for 14 seasons now (makes even this 26 year-old feel old.) But the team is two games out of a playoff spot with four to play, and their (relative) success has boosted tv ratings.