The Seattle Sounders crashed out of the first round of the Major League Soccer (MLS) playoffs with their 6-7 penalty shootout loss against Minnesota United, ending their 2025 campaign in heartbreaking fashion.
After winning their last three regular-season games, the Sounders secured the 5th seed in the Western Conference, setting them up to face Minnesota United in the first round of the MLS playoffs.
To move on, the Sounders would need to defeat Minnesota in a best-of-three series. After Minnesota took Game 1, winning 3-2 in a penalty shootout, the Sounders needed to win Game 2 in Seattle to keep their playoff hopes alive.
To help their team win, Sounders fans took a common approach: getting in the other team’s head. Kyle, a Sounders fan who has led the ultras section at Lumen Field since 2016, specifically targeted Minnesota goalkeeper Dayne St. Claire.
“[St. Claire] was shook. We were in his head,” Kyle said in an interview with the Forum after the Sounders scored four goals on Minnesota’s goalkeeper, taking a comfortable 4-2 win.
“The game was dope,” Chris, a Sounders fan since 2014, said. He brought his Sounders scarf to the game, which he has had since 2014. “We have Game 3, bro. We were in their heads.”
Despite Sounder’s fans’ confidence after a resounding home victory, Game 3 proved to be a tougher battle.
After a 3-3 tie at full-time, the fate of the Seattle-Minnesota series came down to a penalty shootout. After trading shots and misses, goalkeeper Dayne St. Claire stepped up to take the 10th penalty for Minnesota United.
St. Claire scored, requiring Sounders goalkeeper Andrew Thomas to make the next penalty to keep Seattle’s hopes alive. Thomas’s shot banged off the crossbar, eliminating the Sounders from the playoffs as they fell 6-7 in the penalty shootout.
After the loss, a Sounders fan and Skyline student could only muster a four broken-heart emoji reaction to the game.
For more information:
WILD Penalty Shootout!! | Minnesota United vs. Seattle Sounders FC | 2025 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs
