Was the crash in Columbus the most disappointing, hard to stomach loss for a Sounders team in a final? Or is it more gut-wrenching to see your team bested in a close, nail-biting contest with scores of chances for both sides?
Dozens of chances? In a final? Yup. It was the first for the Sounders, 43 years ago in the 1977 final for the North American Soccer League, “Soccer Bowl ’77.” In Portland, of all places, as the NASL used neutral sites for their championship games. The match against the star-studded New York Cosmos had historic significance, beyond Seattle and New York, as Pele’s last competitive game.