| 2020 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| General manager | Garth Lagerwey | ||
| Head coach | Brian Schmetzer | ||
| Stadium | CenturyLink Field | ||
| Major League Soccer | Conference: 2nd Overall: 6th | ||
| MLS Cup Playoffs | Runners-up | ||
| U.S. Open Cup | Canceled | ||
| CONCACAF Champions League | Round of 16 | ||
| Campeones Cup | Canceled | ||
| MLS is Back Tournament | Round of 16 | ||
| Cascadia Cup | Not awarded | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Raúl Ruidíaz (12)[1] All: Raúl Ruidíaz (14)[1] | ||
| Highest home attendance | League: 40,126[1] (Mar. 1 vs. Chicago)[A] | ||
| Lowest home attendance | League: 33,080[1] (Mar. 7 vs. Columbus)[A] | ||
| Average home league attendance | League: 36,603 (Open matches only)[1] | ||
| Biggest win | League: 7–1 vs. San Jose (Sep. 10)[1] | ||
| Biggest defeat | League: 1–4 at Los Angeles (July 27)[1] Playoffs: 0–3 at Columbus (Dec. 12)[1] | ||
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The 2020 season was Seattle Sounders FC's twelfth season in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top flight of professional club soccer in the United States. It was the 37th season played by a professional team bearing the Sounders name, which had originated in 1974 with the first incarnation of the franchise. The team was under the management of Brian Schmetzer in his fourth full MLS season as head coach of the Sounders.
Seattle were the reigning MLS Cup champions, having defeated Toronto FC 3–1 in the 2019 final at their home stadium, CenturyLink Field (renamed Lumen Field in November 2020). The season began with two home matches but was suspended on March 12, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the second Sounders match had reduced attendance due to the pandemic's spread in the Seattle metropolitan area. MLS resumed with a special tournament in July hosted in the Orlando area, and teams returned home a month later to play in matches behind closed doors. The Sounders only played 22 regular season matches, mostly against opponents in the Western Conference, due to a shortened schedule and several canceled matches. The 2020 Campeones Cup was canceled along with the 2020 U.S. Open Cup.
Seattle qualified for the 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs as the second-placed team in the Western Conference, determined by points per game due to the unbalanced number of games played by MLS teams during the season. The Sounders defeated Los Angeles FC, FC Dallas, and Minnesota United FC at home to win a second consecutive conference championship and qualify for MLS Cup 2020, where they lost 3–0 to Columbus Crew SC.
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