It was a magical afternoon at Lumen Field on Saturday as the Seattle Sounders secured a thrilling 5-2 victory over LAFC, with goals from Kalani Kossa-Rienzi, Paul Rothrock, Jordan Morris, Cristian Roldan and Albert Rusnák.
Fielding a heavily rotated team following Wednesday night’s Concacaf Champions Cup fixture, the Sounders came flying out of the gates against LAFC.
Seattle took the lead in the 11th minute following a moment of brilliance from Jesús Ferreira and Tacoma Defiance defender Kalani Kossa-Rienzi.
After receiving a long diagonal pass from Jon Bell, Ferreira clipped a perfectly weighted pass behind LAFC’s defense and into the path of Kossa-Rienzi. The University of Washington product drove into the box, spun his defender and then fired a close-range shot past Thomas Hasal to put the Sounders 1-0 up.
The visitors managed to level the score at 1-1 shortly before halftime. The Sounders struggled to clear an LAFC corner kick, leading to a flurry of blocked shots before Nathan Ordaz managed to find the back of the net for the Black & Gold.
Following the halftime break, the Sounders maintained their control as they pushed forward in search of a second goal. That persistence paid off in the 57th minute as Rothrock produced a moment of magic.
The Sounders Academy alum received the ball 25-yards out following a short corner kick routine. Lumen Field erupted as Rothrock then smashed a shot through a sea of LAFC defenders into the side netting to make it 2-1.
Not satisfied with their one-goal lead, the Sounders continued carving out chances in search of a third goal. The Rave Green were rewarded in the 77th minute as Rothrock slipped a through-ball for Morris who calmly slid his shot underneath the onrushing goalkeeper to make it 3-1.
Seven minutes later, substitute Cristian Roldan iced the match as he glided past a defender at the top of the box before curling a left-footed shot into the bottom corner to put Seattle 4-1 up.
LAFC managed to pull a goal back two minutes into second half stoppage time as David Martinez finished off a counter attack.
The Sounders responded two minutes later as substitute Georgi Minoungou showcased dizzying skill to blow by his defender and pull the ball back for Rusnák to finish first time, making it 5-2 in favor Seattle.
The Sounders will return to action on Wednesday as they travel to Mexico City take on Cruz Azul in Leg Two of the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16.
THREE TAKEAWAYS
Morris Makes History
Morris scored his 87th career goal across all competitions on Saturday, setting a new club record for Sounders FC. The Mercer Island native wheeled away in celebration, kissing the crest on his jersey as he basked in the historic moment for his hometown club.
Dream Moment for KKR
Playing on a short-term contract from the Defiance, Kossa-Rienzi marked his first start at Lumen Field with a brilliant individual goal. He also put in an elite defensive shift at wingback, winning all six of his tackles and seven of his nine duels.
Explosive Attack
The Sounders have shown signs of an elite attack through the opening slate of fixtures in 2025, but have just been lacking in that final moment of quality. That narrative changed on Saturday night as they put on an attacking masterclass, repeatedly carving up one of the best defensive teams in Major League Soccer and scoring five goals.
