The Seattle Sounders suffered a 1-0 defeat at LAFC on Wednesday night as Mateusz Bogusz secured three points for the home side with a goal in the first minute.
LAFC took the lead just 54 seconds into the match when Bogusz burst through midfield and fired a shot from the edge of the box that deflected into the bottom corner.
After weathering an early wave of pressure, Seattle took control of proceedings for most of the first half as they repeatedly attacked down the left flank.
Léo Chú nearly picked out Raúl RuidÃaz for close-range shots in the 11th minute and 17th minute, only to see his crosses cleared away by last-ditch interceptions from Giorgio Chiellini.
In the 22nd minute, Obed Vargas slipped Chú behind LAFC’s back line and the Brazilian pulled the ball back for RuidÃaz, whose first-time shot force John McCarthy into a diving save.
One minute later, Vargas weaved his way through three LAFC defenders and clipped a ball to the top of the six-yard-box for RuidÃaz, but the Peruvian’s header was denied by a smart reflex save from McCarthy.
Both sides traded half chances for the rest of the half but were unable to capitalize. LAFC nearly doubled their lead on the brink of halftime when Denis Bouanga broke free in transition, but he pulled his shot wide of the far post from the top of the box.
In the 56th minute, Chú slipped a pass into the box for RuidÃaz, who went down under a challenge from Chiellini but no penalty kick was awarded.
10 minutes later, a spell of sustained possession from LAFC culminated in Diego Palacios cutting the ball back for Carlos Vela, but Jackson Ragen denied his first-time effort.
In the 76th minute, LAFC appeared to have doubled their lead when Jose Cifuentes scored from a set piece but the goal was overturned upon Video Review.
Arguably the best chance of the match fell to Kwadwo Opoku in the final minute of the match, but the LAFC attacker drove his effort over the bar from close range.
THREE TAKEAWAYS
Léo Chū Lively
After a relatively quiet performance in the 3-3 draw against Charlotte FC, Chú provided plenty of attacking thurst down the left flank against LAFC. On another night, he might have had a couple of assists if not for last-ditch interventions from defenders or a pair of impressive saves by McCarthy. As his chemistry continues to build with RuidÃaz, it should translate to more goals for the Rave Green.
Vintage João Paulo
João Paulo put in a textbook shift at defensive midfielder on Wednesday night. Seattle’s Brazilian No. 6 was solid defensively and keyed most of the Rave Green’s attacks with his intelligent passing.
Bounce Back
The Sounders won't have to wait long for an opportunity to put this result behind them. The Rave Green will host Eastern Conference side Orlando City SC (7:30 p.m. PT; Watch free on Apple TV, 93.3 KJR FM, El Rey 1360AM | TICKETS) at Lumen Field in the club's Pride match.
