A boisterous and rainy CenturyLink Field greeted Sporting Kansas City and the Seattle Sounders as the two sides met for their Western Conference knockout match in the 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs. Both sides opted to start the same sides that served them so well over the weekend, despite the short rest.

The early going went entirely SKC’s way. Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei was forced to come up big early on with a brilliant diving parry in the 9th minute off a Paulo Nagamura shot. The SKC midfielder found himself running on goal with the ball from 20 yards out after an interception off a Roman Torres pass.

Just a couple minutes later Frei was called upon again. For the second time Nagamura found space from the top of the box to launch off a shot that Frei again had to parry. This time though the ball fell to Graham Zusi who’s left footed effort skirted just wide of Frei’s outstretch hand and the left goalpost.

Seattle really struggled to assert themselves on the match with SKC controlling the midfield due to better, passing, quicker marking, and committing more numbers. It took 30 minutes for the Sounders to direct a shot on goal. Even then Marshall’s headers was cleared off the line and ruled offside by the referee. At this point it was Sporting KC’s match to lose as it felt inevitable that they’d eventually slip one by Frei.

Up until this point the match had been typical of playoffs in MLS, physical, fast, and with a hint of recklessness hinted at the monumental importance of winning this game. Buy and large referee Ismail Elfath kept his whistle in his pocket. Opting instead to let the players play. Only whistling for the harshest of fouls. Osvaldo Alonso’s 31st minute challenge on Roger Espinoza in the 31st minute was one such occasion where Elfath was forced to action. Issuing the Sounders captain a deserved yellow card.

The frantic match continued with Seth Sinovic crashing over the advertising boards, the Sounders being unable to string together attacking passes, and Benny Feilhaber and Paulo Nagamura imposed their wills over the midfield. Right before halftime the Sounders had arguably their best chance of the half when Torres’ header got on the end of a Lodeiro free kick but sailed just over the crossbar.

The second half was a continuation of the first with SKC being the better side. They successfully strung passes together to create chances while limiting the Sounders ability to do the same.

But it was their chance in the 53rd minute that came the closest to putting them through. Besler shook his mark on a Benny Feilhaber free kick and took a beautiful header to finally beat Frei. But as the assistant referee correctly noticed, Besler was offside by the narrowest of margins, and the goal was disallowed keeping the score tied at 0-0.

Sporting Kansas City continued their domination in the chance making department for the next ten minutes. Culminating by their effort in the 62nd minute. A Feilhaber cross fell to Seth Sinovic at the corner of the box. His left footed strike once again forced Frei to think quickly as it was all he could do to push it up and over the bar.

Tensions rose to their highest in the 66th minute when Alonso made a reckless challenge on Feilhaber. The Sounders captain went to ground at a full sprint and with one leg barely managed to poke the ball away from Feilhaber. Alonso’s other leg ended up making contact with Feilhaber and he went tumbling down the pitch. With Elfath ruling it a Seattle throw and Feilhaber still on the ground the rest of SKC went ballistic. At the time SKC coach Peter Vermes was sprinting around his technical area berating the fourth official. The no call was questionable and with Alonso already being on a yellow, Seattle looked to get away with one.

After getting a yellow for after recovering from the tackle Feilhaber put it behind him to lead the SKC attack once again. After repeatedly using his pinpoint service and dogged tackling to spark SKC’s attack he took matters into his own hand in the 79th minute. With four Seattle defenders between him and goal, Feilhaber danced past Mears, Alonso, and Torres to get a narrow one-on-one angle with Frei. The Sounders keeper once again came up huge as he made the low leg save on Feilhaber’s ensuing shot.

With the game become even more frentic and tensions nearing boiling each side threw numbers forward, knowing that a single strike of the ball could put them through.

The deadlock came crashing down in the 88th minute. Joevin Jones found space and time near the corner of the box and fired off a cross towards the goal box. Kevin Ellis was caught in the uncomfortable situation of having to mark Nelson Vadez and Jordan Morris. Ellis opted to focus more on Morris which left Valdez with just enough space to get a touch with his head to push the ball by Tim Melia. Often criticized for his lack of goal’s Valdez once again came up big in the playoffs.

Down a goal and with only four minutes of stoppage time remaining, SKC threw everything they had into the attack. But with 11 men behind the ball and the valiant goaltending of Frei, SKC’s late game heroics ended up fruitless. As the final whistle blew Sporting players gutted at the result, which at best could be categorized as “lucky” for the Sounders, collapsed on the pitch. While the Sounders broke out in displays of joy. Happy to be moving on despite being dominated by Sporting KC in most aspects of the game.

With the win, Seattle advances to play FC Dallas in the Western Conference Semi-finals. Tensions are sure to be high as Dallas comes in as the team to beat. Having already won the Supporters Shield and US Open Cup. But the Sounders will have extra motivation as they have the opportunity to avenge last years lose to FC Dallas at the same stage of the playoffs. The first game of the two-legged affair will take place on Sunday October 30 in Seattle.

While Valdez came through with the winning goal, and Alonso kept Sporting’s midfield at bay there was no competition on the night for the man of the match award. Stefan Frei racked up seven saves, of which at least four would have been goal of the game in any other match. Make no mistake about it. Sporting Kansas City had the better chances on the night and were it not for Stefan Frei standing between Seattle’s goalpost they would have walked away the victors.