Following their successful second leg versus FC Dallas, the Sounders will face the Colorado Rapids for the Western Conference Championship.
Colorado has been in solid form throughout the season, but their watershed moment came from the addition of Tim Howard, at least according to manager Pablo Mastoreni. Howard was the centerpiece to Colorado's optimal playing style, which in tandem with Jermaine Jone's resurgence, makes them a formidable opponent for Seattle.
Colorado knocked out the Los Angeles Galaxy on their road to the Western Conference Final, and with it, potentially, Steven Gerrard's career.