Seattle Sounders lose MLS play-offs despite 2-0 win in the second leg of the conference semi-final
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Seattle-Sounders-FC-c40474 won the second leg of Major League Soccer play-offs, Western Conference semi-final, against Real Salt Lake 2-0 at CenturyLink Field on Wednesday, November 2. But the win brought little solace to the Rave Green as they lost the play-offs’
race to RSL on 3-2 aggregate.
The Royals defeated the Sounders FC 3-0 in the first leg staged at Rio Tinto Stadium, Utah, on Sunday, October 30.
This was Rave Green’s third season since their induction to MLS in 2009 and the team managed to qualify for the postseason in every campaign but never once have they won a game in the play-offs.
This was the first time they emerged victors in the postseason against one of the strongest teams in the league but it was one game too late for the Washington-based outfit.
“It’s definitely a very empty, hollow feeling in our stomachs at this stage,” coach Sigi Schmid said after the game. “As I told the team, I’m happy we got our first playoff win … but we still have an empty feeling from the standpoint that we know we should
have done better in Salt Lake.”
According to http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Jeff-Parke-c18242, this season’s roster had the capability of progressing to the next stage in the play-offs. There is no denying the fact that the 3-2 aggregate loss was a sheer disappointment for the team and their fans.
“We had big expectations here,” Parke said. “We wanted big things, and with the group we have here, there’s enough talent to push and win a Cup.”
The overall 2011 season has been impressive for the Sounders, who advanced to the knock-out stage of CONCACAF Champions League and won the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup third time in a row.
However, no one hid the disappointment of losing the MLS Cup battle at this stage when the team was being tipped as one of the strongest contenders for the title at start of the season.
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