Had he been a little more selfish, Cristian Roldan could have logged a hat trick by the 50th minute in Lumen Field on Saturday night. But as he showed why the USMNT needs him come June, his whole team showed why they're among the best in MLS.
Despite a two-goal loss in the first leg and a road score for Tigres UANL, the Sounders nearly came away with a semifinals berth in CCC. But the final cherry on top evaded them in the end, and though there were plenty of silver linings, it was an early exit for the dynasty-aspirant Seattle.
Claudia Dickey set the Reign record for saves with the club and the back line worked overtime to make it happen, but the team lacked finishing in the final third as both Seattle and Denver walked away with a point.
The Reign seemingly took out their frustrations from their dreadful double-advantaged defeat in Portland last week, taking the Current to town in Spokane and showing what can happen when Seattle threads the needle between caution and aggression.
There are good games, bad games, dropped points, disappointments, unexpected victories, and missed opportunities in this beautiful game. For the Reign, however, playing up two and losing by two is a new one.
