The gulf in emotions before and after MLS Cup was shockingly wide. As sports fans, we’ve surely all experienced other losses in championship games. We may have even known what it was like to be roundly outplayed in those games.
But this year’s loss felt different. It wasn’t just that many of us went into the game fully expecting to win — data be damned — it’s that the Sounders never really looked up for it.
A few weeks later, I’m still stuck with a sensation that makes it hard to assess the season as a whole.