The crowd is quieter before kickoff in September than it is in June, and considerably louder once the ball moves. That inversion tells you everything about what is at stake without anybody having to explain the table.
Seattle has been the measuring stick of this league for most of its modern life, which is why beating them in the back half of a season says more to the conference than any run of points against anyone else. Late home matches are where seeding gets decided, and by the middle of September the bracket is close enough to touch. Carson on a warm evening, the stands full of people who have watched this rivalry curdle and reheat for years, everybody running the same permutations in their heads.
Dignity Health Sports Park on Avalon Boulevard, a September evening.
Take the friend who says nothing ever happens in soccer. Take them to this one specifically.