SEATTLE — The favored Seattle Sounders are facing elimination heading to the final match of a three-game series on Friday night.
One year after missing the playoffs, the Sounders rebounded this year to clinch the No. 2 seed in the MLS Cup playoffs, earning 53 points in the regular season.
But the club lost the second game of its first-round series against FC Dallas, forcing a do-or-die game at Lumen Field.
Here's everything you need to know.
Series recap
- Game 1: Sounders win 2-0
- Game 2: FC Dallas wins 3-1
- Game 3: Sounders FC vs. FC Dallas | Time: 7 p.m. | Date: Friday | Location: Lumen Field
Game 1
Seattle kicked off the series with a convincing 2-0 victory at home. Albert Rusnak scored a penalty in the 43rd minute and Jordan Morris scored an insurance goal in the 74th minute to lift the team to a 1-0 series lead.
The final statistics indicated the Sounders' dominance: The team led in possession (57%), shots on goal (6) and shot attempts (19).
Game 2
It was a different story for the second game in Dallas, who scored two early goals in the first 20 minutes. A Morris goal early in the second half gave the Sounders some late juice, but it wasn't enough to steal a road victory.
Attending the game
You can buy tickets to Game 3 of the Sounders' first-round series by clicking here. Tickets are currently going for $53 and up as of Wednesday evening.
The Lumen Field gates will open at 5:30 p.m. before the match. Kickoff is scheduled for about 7:09 p.m.
The club encouraged fans to arrive early to avoid long lines as the Northeast Gate (now called Gate 1) will be closed temporarily for the match. Fans will need to use the North Gate (now called Gate 2) and the Northwest Gate (now called Gate 3) instead. Here is a map of Lumen Field.
You can find more information leading up to the game on the Sounders official website.
How to watch the game
All Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup playoff games will be available on Apple TV+ if you are subscribed to MLS Season Pass. Select games will also be available on national television.
What's at stake?
A whole lot. If the Sounders lose their season will be over. If the Sounders win, they'll host a semifinal game against defending champion LAFC.
Top-seeded St. Louis City was eliminated in the first round, meaning the Sounders are guaranteed home-field advantage throughout the playoffs if they advance to the MLS Cup Final.
MLS Cup playoffs format, explained
The 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs started last week and will end with the MLS Cup Final on Dec. 9.
In February, the league announced a new playoff format that increased the amount of playoff teams from 14 to 18 this year.
Here's a breakdown of each round of the new format.
First round
The first round of the postseason is a best-of-three series, where the first club to win two games moves on to the semifinals. The series will be in a home-away-home format, meaning the higher seed hosts the first and third match (if necessary), while the lower seeded team hosts the second match in the series.
In this round, MLS said there will be no ties and no aggregate score across the matches. Each game will have a winner.
If a match is tied at the end of regulation, no extra time will be played. Instead, teams will alternate penalty kicks until there is a winner.
Four teams in each conference will advance to the semifinals.
Conference semifinals
The conference semifinals will revert to single-elimination matches, with the higher seed hosting the match.
If a match is tied in this round, two 15-minute extra time periods will be played in their entirety, according to MLS. The match will go to penalty kicks if the sides are still tied after 120 minutes.
Conference final
The conference final round will keep the same rules in the conference semifinal.
The two winners in these matches will advance to the MLS Cup Final on Dec. 9.
MLS Cup
The MLS Cup will feature the winner of the Western Conference and Eastern Conference to crown a champion.
This round will keep the same format as the conference semifinals and final.
Team expectations
The Sounders' expectations for the 2023 playoffs can be boiled down into three words: Win it all.
Despite scoring just 41 goals this season, ranking 12th of 15 teams in the Western Conference, the Sounders climbed the top of the table because of its staunch defense.
Seattle allowed just 32 goals this season, tied for the best mark in the entire league. The team's offensive output didn't match its talent, but the Sounders have one of the deeper forward units in the league.
If the Sounders can create enough chances, the club has enough quality in both phases to win a third MLS Cup championship.
Sounders playoff history
Prior to 2022, the Sounders were basically a lock to make the MLS playoffs. Seattle qualified for the postseason in its first 13 seasons in MLS, including four trips to the MLS Cup Final. The Sounders won the league's prestigious trophy in 2016 and 2019.
The streak ended last year, however, when injuries and poor play beset the Sounders, who finished 11th in the Western Conference.
Seattle rebounded this season in a big way to earn the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and hopefully usher in another stretch of playoff dominance.
Here's how the Sounders have fared in the playoffs in previous seasons:
- 2022: Missed playoffs
- 2021: Lost in first-round
- 2020: Lost MLS Cup Final
- 2019: Won MLS Cup Final
- 2018: Lost in conference semifinals
- 2017: Lost MLS Cup Final
- 2016: Won MLS Cup Final
- 2015: Lost conference semifinals
- 2014: Lost conference finals
- 2013: Lost conference semifinals
- 2012: Lost conference finals
- 2011: Lost conference semifinals
- 2010: Lost conference semifinals
- 2009: Lost conference semifinals
