IN ONE OF THE MOST dramatic games in Major League Soccer history, and with the series advantage swinging back and forth in the closing minutes of regulation, FC Dallas deservedly defeated the Seattle Sounders in a shootout to advance to the Western Conference final.

Here are my thoughts on the wild match.

Young Guns Come Out Blazing

It was a battle between two completely different teams. Seattle has high-priced starters, a wealth of experience, and a tremendous following. FC Dallas has mostly younger players, a low average attendance, and no internationally known players.

But over the course of the season, FC Dallas showed itself to be better than Seattle, and it was again Sunday. The Sounders only were able to keep the match close thanks to desperate defending and a fortunate 90th-minute header from Chad Marshall. With Kellyn Acosta, Jesse Gonzalez, Walker Zimmerman, and Victor Ulloa all stepping up, Dallas also showed the benefit of playing younger players.

It’s good for the league when young players succeed, and it only helps with player development, too. If Oscar Pareja and FC Dallas can become trendsetters in that regard, MLS could greatly benefit down the line.

Zimmerman is the unlikely hero

Heading into Sunday's contest Walker Zimmerman had had a rough year. He only started 10 games for FC Dallas in 2015, and he wasn’t in the picture for the U.S. Olympic team, either—even while an out-of-contract Will Packwood got a spot.

The 22-year-old Georgia native has always had impressive potential, though, and Sunday saw some of the best moments of his career. His stoppage-time goal forced extra time after it appeared Seattle found the winner through Marshall. Then, in the penalty shootout, Zimmerman confidently walked up and converted his kick to seal the victory.

It’s too early to say whether he built up his case to see more minutes in the Western Conference final, but he clearly didn’t hurt it. Emblematic of his Dallas team, Zimmerman right now is young, confident, and in form.

Has Seattle hit the wall?

Seattle is a popular team, and one that’s fun to watch when it’s firing on all cylinders. But the team's current reality is, well, far from fun: Despite getting past the Los Angeles Galaxy—its nemesis for years—the Sounders once again failed to make to make it to the MLS Cup final.

This year was a wakeup call. In the middle of the season, when Obafemi Martins and Clint Dempsey were away from the team due to injury and international duty, Seattle’s attack was anemic, and the club tumbled down the standings.

Martins and Dempsey are both on the wrong side of 30, and they won’t be getting any better (or younger) in 2016. The same goes for most of their teammates: veterans like Brad Evans, Osvaldo Alonso (who turns 30 this week), Chad Marshall, and Andreas Ivanschitz.

It makes you wonder if significant changes and a new approach may be needed. Is Sigi Schmid still the right coach? How much player turnover is needed in 2016? Securing the services of Jordan Morris would be a huge step in the right direction, but can the Sounders lure him away from Stanford University?

No team has more questions heading into the offseason than Seattle.