The North American Soccer League was at the top of professional soccer in the United States well before Major League Soccer kicked off.

Seattle Sounders players celebrate with the championship trophy after the team beat Minnesota United in an MLS playoff Western Conference final soccer match, Monday, Dec. 7, 2020, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)SEATTLE – As the confetti flew and the fireworks popped before an empty stadium, the Seattle Sounders were handed the Western Conference championship trophy for the fourth time in five years. Only a few minutes earlier, the Sounders appeared on the verge of relinquishing their claim of being defending MLS Cup champions. Seattle is just the second team in MLS history to reach the final four times in five seasons, joining DC United in the first seasons of the league. It was just the second time in team history two different substitutes scored for the Sounders.

SEATTLE - The word 'family' was emblazoned on Brian Schmetzer's T-shirt and it is what the Seattle Sounders have become to its head coach. The Seattle native led the Sounders to its second MLS Cup title on Sunday after beating Toronto FC 3-1 in the final. His impact was felt immediately, as he led the Sounders to their first MLS Cup title that year. While Schmetzer's Sounders side weren't always the best team on the CenturyLink Field pitch on Sunday, second-half goals from Kelvin Leerdam, Victor Rodriguez and Raul Ruidiaz had the stadium literally shaking and returned the MLS Cup to Seattle. The match was a rematch of the 2016 Cup final, and the similarities between the two games went beyond just the two teams involved.