The Sounders beat LAFC 2–1 on Decision Day to clinch a home Wild Card match against Real Salt Lake.

A week after we were practically giving the season a eulogy, the Sounders are in the playoffs. Ari Liljenwall and Jackson Felts pick up where our postgame show left off. Albert Rusnák scored in the opening minute, Sebastián Gómez found the net again, and Andrew Thomas had a monster game as Seattle held on late. We also get into what we know about Jordan Morris’ quad injury, which forced him off in the first half.

Then we each bring three reasons to believe Seattle can make a playoff run and three reasons to be skeptical. How much did Saturday change what we trust about this team? Has Gómez earned a playoff start? And how different does Seattle look if it has to chase the game?

We close with a first look at Real Salt Lake, what it’ll take to get through the Wild Card and how far we think Seattle can go.

☕️ Lobbing Scorchers Kickoff is presented by QED Coffee, a Seattle-based roaster, coffee shop, and coffee subscription service. Visit them in person at one of the three Seattle locations or online and use code ‘LS74’ for 25% off across the site.

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Kickoff streams live every Monday at 8 am Pacific on YouTube and lands on Apple Podcasts and Spotify the same morning.

Previous episode: Kickoff: Stick a fork in the 2026 Sounders?

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