The Sounders were unstoppable, firing four unanswered goals past the overwhelmed Atlanta Silverbacks, each strike ratcheting up the delirium that buzzed from a standing-room-only Starfire Stadium and fed the players out on the field. It was, as forward Craig Tomlinson says of the crowd, “almost like their energy was flowing through you.”



That was in 2007, and twelve years on from the last time the Sounders played for a league title before their home fans, some common threads remain: Brian Schmetzer as the head coach, Adrian Hanauer in the owner’s box (such as it was at Starfire), Tom Dutra coaching up the goalkeepers and Dr. Michael Morris tending to the injured.



In that sense, it’s possible to draw a line between the Sounders team that took the 2007 USL championship game and the one that will line up on Sunday as Seattle hosts the MLS Cup final for the first time. This weekend’s showdown against Toronto is shaping up to be the most...