Seattle finally broke its scoring drought and will play either Portland or Houston in the next round as they attempt to defend its MLS Cup.
Clint Dempsey talked before these playoffs about wanting to make a difference for a Sounders team whose championship run he missed a year ago.
He’d also missed the series opener against the Vancouver Whitecaps, but made up for it in the second half of Thursday night’s second leg. Dempsey rocketed home a left-footed shot from the top of the box to give the Sounders a lead, then added a second marker later on for a 2-0 victory that clinched this Western Conference semifinal series.