SEATTLE — The stage was all set. The Seattle Sounders had their biggest in-stadium crowd of the season — including a reasonably packed Brougham End — and a broadcast television audience to boot. The Sounders entered the match on a roll that seemed nearly as sustainable as it was impressive. Their opponent was another in an ever-growing line of challengers for their status as marquee team in MLS.
Not that they needed it, but a win would have put an emphatic stamp on the start of Seattle’s season and sent them into their final game before the June international break on a dead sprint.