The Seattle Sounders entered the Western Conference Championship as the odds-on favorites and they did little to dispel that notion on Tuesday night, defeating the Houston Dynamo, 2-0, at BBVA Compass Stadium.
Gustav Svensson started the scoring early for Seattle, finishing a Nicolas Lodeiro corner kick in the 11th minute. Just 16 minutes later, the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs series changed as Dynamo right back Jalil Anibaba pulled down Joevin Jones in the box without making a play on the ball. That triggered a penalty kick and a red card. Fortunately for the Dynamo, Joe Willis was able to save Lodeiro's penalty, becoming the third goalkeeper in MLS history to save two penalties in the playoffs.