For the first time since 2021, the Seattle Sounders have beaten LAFC.
After going winless against LAFC in the last ten head-to-head matchups, the Sounders took down the Black & Gold when it mattered most in a 2-1, extra-time victory at BMO Stadium Saturday night.
“It was\] a gutsy, team performance,” said forward [Jordan Morris. “You saw guys putting their bodies on the line to help us win this game.”
With LAFC competing at home, against a team they’ve defeated four times this year alone, and Seattle being without regular starters Nouhou and Paul Rothrock, the hosts appeared to be heavy favorites.
But the Sounders had other plans in mind.
“We never quit. We never give up,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer.
Seattle’s game plan heading into the match was executed to perfection. Not only did the team maintain a compact shape throughout match, limiting any dangerous counter attacks, the squad displayed a certain sharpness throughout the entirety of the 120 minutes that ultimately overpowered the home side and earned Seattle the win.
“For us to get rewarded, it just feels really good,” said goalkeeper Stefan Frei. “Feels like every player deserves it….We worked so hard.”
From the starting eleven to the five substitutes who came on in the second half and overtime, everyone made an impact when they stepped onto the pitch. Beginning with Frei and his goalkeeping heroics of nine impeccable saves on the night, all the way to the front line with Morris who sealed the win with an extra time finish, the Sounders’ Western Conference Semifinal win was a collective effort.
“I think every single player had a good game which is just going to help push us forward,” said Morris. “Everyone had the right mentality.”
Tonight’s emphatic win over LAFC was a testament to the depth of the Sounders’ roster. When Rothrock and Nouhou were unavailable, or players like Yeimar had to exit the match early, others rose to the occasion and stepped up when the team needed them most.
“We started Reed \[Baker-Whiting\], we started Jonathan Bell…Georgi \[Minoungou\], there's another young kid, Nathan came on and did exactly what he needed to do,” said Schmetzer. “Guys who hadn’t played came on the field and did their jobs.”
Though this postseason victory over LAFC could be seen as a déjà vu moment from the team’s 2019 Conference Final win at BMO Stadium, Schmetzer found Saturday's comeback performance to be even more satisfying than the 3-1 outcome five years ago, given the circumstances.
“Those players in there had to dig deep,” he said. “They had to fight, they had to persevere, they had to overcome. We went down a goal, came back and scored two. Now [there was] the own goal, I get that. But we created something, got us back in the game, and then for Jordan to clean it up, and put the game away, it was impressive.”
The Sounders' journey to the MLS Cup continues next weekend when the team takes on the the winner of LA Galaxy – Minnesota United in the Western Conference Final.
