Paul Rothrock scored early and the Seattle Sounders held on for a 1-0 victory over visiting Real Salt Lake on Saturday night.

Stefan Frei made five stops to keep his eighth clean sheet and the Sounders' ninth. The win guaranteed Seattle (14-9-10, 52 points) a fifth-place finish in the Western Conference and a Round 1 MLS Cup Playoff series against the yet-to-be-determined fourth-place finisher.

Rafael Cabral saved a penalty shot for ninth-place Salt Lake (12-17-4, 40 points), which could've locked down the final playoff spot in the West with an away victory. They'll still qualify if they win their final match next weekend at St. Louis.

Rothrock put Seattle in front in the fourth minute. After Salt Lake partially cleared an initial ball down the right, Jordan Morris pressured RSL into a

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