Editor's Note: With 2016 winding to a close, SoundersFC.com is taking a look back at the top 10 plays of the Seattle Sounders' 2016 season. We'll release the full list over the course of the week, with the final play being announced on Dec. 31. Take a look at the Honorable Mentions and the full list as it's released.
The Sounders will kick off the 2017 season on Saturday, March 4 against the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium.
Despite their furious run in the final third of the season, the Seattle Sounders still needed a win against Real Salt Lake on Decision Day to guarantee a postseason berth.
And what a dream start they had.
Just three minutes in, Tyrone Mears played a ball toward the sideline in the Sounders’ attacking end. Cristian Roldan ran onto it and back-heeled it back to Mears, who bolted toward RSL’s 18-yard-box.
Mears played in a dangerous cross and onto the feet of Jordan Morris, who, with his back to goal, inventively flicked a pass behind his leg to an onrushing Alvaro Fernandez at the far post. Fernandez tapped in easily to finish the best team sequence Seattle produced all year.
The early tally set the tone for the Sounders, who would go on to win 2-1, finish fourth in the Western Conference and complete their miraculous turnaround.
