Seattle Sounders Leave it Late Against Sporting KC: 3 Takeaways

Oct 27, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Sounders FC forward Nelson Valdez (16) celebrates with his teammates after a 1-0 victory against Sporting Kansas City at CenturyLink Center. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 27, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Sounders FC forward Nelson Valdez (16) celebrates with his teammates after a 1-0 victory against Sporting Kansas City at CenturyLink Center. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 27, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Sporting Kansas City forward Graham Zusi (8) steals the ball from Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Osvaldo Alonso (6) during the second half at CenturyLink Center. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports /

1) Sporting KC were the better team overall

Part of being a member of the media includes being objective at all times. (That’s the theory anyway!) As such, despite the fact this is a Seattle sports website, it only seems fair to say that Sporting KC were the better team on the night.

The visitors just seemed to work harder and want it a bit more, although this should not be seen as a criticism of the Sounders. Sometimes, the other team just plays better.

There are several theories as to why this was the case. For example, it’s possible the extra pressure of this being a knockout game affected the Sounders’ performance, albeit more during the first half.

I asked Jordan Morris about this, given that this was his first MLS playoff game: “You just try and go out there and treat it like a normal game.

“I mean, (yes) they’re a bit more intense and can get scrappy when teams are fighting for their lives…You’re a little more nervous, but you just try and go out there and do the same thing you’ve been doing all season and obviously it worked out for us.”