Thank You Sounders

Tonight was definitely a bittersweet one. I went into the game knowing there was a 95% chance that it would be the last time I would see the Sounders until March. Down 3-0 to a quality, quality team after the first leg of the quarterfinal, we were in a deep hole. We would need a miracle to advance. And yet I was at peace. This was an amazing season and really fun team to watch. I went into the match simply wanting to see my boys put up a good fight and I wanted to enjoy the atmosphere for one last time this season.

The first half was everything I hoped for. Apart from the rain and the lack of goals, it was an enjoyable half. If they were to play the same way in the second half as they did in the first, I could go home happy.

Then Salt Lake gave us a gift PK in the 57th minute. Ozzie slotted it past Rimando and the aggregate deficit was down to 2. It felt damn good, but I knew we still had a ways to go. Four minutes later When Fredy Montero found Lamar Neagle for the second goal of the game, it all suddenly seemed real. This was the best situation we could have asked for: down 3-2 in aggregate with 30 minutes left. EVERYONE in the stadium knew the third goal was coming. Over the next half hour the Sounders continued to pour on the pressure and I assumed it was gonna come....and yet, it never did. RSL walked out of Qwest with a win on aggregate. It felt like a gut punch: the Sounders did everything they needed to do to send the series to extra time, but in the end the third goal never came. I am going to rue so many missed chances. In the first half Jeff Parke had a shot cleared off the line by a diving header. Fredy Montero shot high on a breakaway after turning around his defender. In the second half, Ozzie Alonso cracked two volleys into the stands and Lamar Neagle had a shot miraculously saved by Nick Rimando. The boys dominated but just fell short and I know they are not going to soon forget the feeling.

As fans, I think we most appreciate how amazing this season has been. We won 18 regular season games, scored the most goals in the league (56), won a third US Open cup and advanced to the quarterfinals of Champions League. In the end, our MLS season came to end because of 90 nightmarish minutes in Salt Lake City. The boys tried to fight out of it, but for the third straight season are headed home early.

I refuse to let the two game series define the season. It sucks. It is disappointing but it doesn't take away from what they accomplished. And here is the kicker - we are not going anywhere. If anything, I think we might be better next year. We'll have a full season of not only Mauro Rosales but Steve Zakuani as well. Combined with Fredy Montero, Ozzie Alonso and Alvaro Fernandez there attack will be scary good - certainly top 3 in the league again. Mike Fucito and Lamar Neagle will only get better (assuming they depart in the expansion draft) and the centerback combo of Parke and Hurtado will be back. Realistically, the only positions we will have to replace are Goalie and possibly the two outside backs. The talent will be there, but more importantly, the fire will be there. Sigi and Kasey said that this season would be different because the team was hungry and that they were not just happy to make the playoffs.

That might have been the case, but ultimately it did not lead to a different result. This next year might just be a little different. I think the feeling in the lockerroom after this most recent disappointment will go a long way. As Sigi said, certain players grew up tonight. In 2012 we will be once again a complete team and this time, one that is mentally prepared for a deep run.

As for this year, the only thing I can say is Thank You Sounders. In a year when the Nets, Devils and Mets didn't make the playoffs, you were the saving grace. A lot of my East Coast friends don't get the whole soccer thing. They think it is crazy that I would even consider the Sounders to be on par with the Mets, but the fact is that I am closer to this team than I have ever been with the Mets or Devils. Don't get me wrong - those two will always be my teams. I have enjoyed not only great success with both but great failure as well. The difference is that my relationship with them is that of worship. I admire them from a far, never knowing what it is like to be at every game. With the Sounders, I sit 20 rows from the field 18 times a year. I feel their pain when they fail and I feel their joy when they succeed. It is easy to become connected with them because they are not larger than life. And it's not just me and a few friends - this is something that has taken over the entire city. Anywhere you go you will find people wanting to talk about the Sounders. It is an amazing situation and one that I am grateful for. Thank you Sounders. Great things are going to happen in 2012.

**********

Somehow I went this whole post without commenting on Kasey Keller. It is going to be strange seeing someone else in the goal next year. Keller has meant so much to not only this organization, but to American soccer as a whole. Anyone who calls themselves a fan of the USMNT, regardless of MLS allegiance, knows how important he was. In his final three years as a pro, he helped make this team legitimate, winning 44 games and leading them to 3 MLS playoff appearances and 3 US Open Cup titles. It is sad to see you go, but I take solace in knowing that you will still be part of the organization for many years to come. Thank you Kasey.