The Sounders, who went into Saturday night’s game on a five-game winning streak, were humbled by LAFC after suffering a rare 3-0 home loss. Seattle led the shots statistic 21-7, but were not able to convert given that 15 of those shots were off target. The relatively recently-born rivalry between the Sounders and LAFC is known to bring lots of heat, action, and controversy; and this game was no exception.
"There is no excuse. They [LAFC] were better than us tonight," said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer following the defeat.
LAFC switched to a five-back formation going into the evening, with the Sounders giving Pedro de la Vega a long-anticipated home start for the first time since March 2nd’s scoreless draw against Austin FC–where he picked up the injury that prolonged his time out of action.
Pedro de la Vega was often trying his skills on the pitch, attempting dribbles through LAFC defenders and trying his luck with long shots. de la Vega, however, only saw 45 minutes of game time against LAFC after he was substituted at halftime for Paul Rothrock.
Dakota Grim / Area Sports Network
The 12th minute had an insane tussle for the ball, with the ball almost sneaking past Frei following a clash of Sounders defenders and LAFC attackers on the ball. The referee ended up calling a penalty on a Nouhou handball–who was on the ground alongside Frei trying to prevent the ball from crossing the goal line. VAR stepped in to review the play, but Referee Allen Chapman upheld the penalty call. Denis Bouanga smashed the penalty past Stefan Frei straight through the middle of the goal, giving LAFC the early lead.
LAFC doubled their lead at the 27th minute, where after a distant freekick was delivered into the Sounders box with Frei attempting to collect the cross, coming off his line in the process. Frei, however, could not reach the ball. After a header away, the ball fell into the territory of Mateusz Bogusz, who scored on the volley while Frei and his defenders attempted to track back in time.
Jordan Morris appealed for a handball on LAFC defender Maxime Chanot, but was not entertained by Allen Chapman. The ball was sent in long by Cristian Roldan, but hit the chest of Chanot and down, appearing from Morris’ angle to be a possible handball–but ended up being the correct call by the referee.
Another handball appeal was made deep into first half stoppage time after a Sounders long ball was sent into the LAFC box, which invoked an off-field VAR review. However, Chapman ultimately gave the ball to Hugo Lloris to resume play.
Dakota Grim / Area Sports Network
Paul Rothrock was chopped down in the LAFC penalty box following a well-timed tackle on Jordan Morris. Rothrock protested profusely to the referee due to being kicked in the knee, but was handed a yellow card for the reason of simulation. Though a far greater argument was made for a penalty, VAR did not entertain the incident any further, leaving yet another penalty appeal left without the desired answer the Sounders were seeking.
After an interval of pressing by the Sounders, LAFC’s Bouanga haunted the Sounders again after breaking through the high Sounders line at the 74th minute, finding the third goal of their night and crushing any hopes of a Rave Green comeback. Soon after the third LAFC goal, Sounders fans began exiting the stadium.
Dakota Grim / Area Sports Network
The Sounders spirit seemed visibly crushed after the team went 3-0 down, where LAFC could have easily made the score line 0-4, but that feeling lasted for a short amount of time. Despite having a result out of reach, the Sounders kept pushing for a consolation goal in the closing minutes of the match. However, it was not Seattle’s day to find a goal. Raúl Ruidíaz had a golden opportunity where he did everything correctly. Deeper into second half stoppage time, starting off an Alex Roldan throw in, Ruidíaz made a well-placed one-touch shot in LAFC’s penalty box, and with Lloris beaten, Sergi Palencia dropped back to cover the goal line in time to clear the shot off the line.
Cristian Roldan spoke about the team's finishing on goal after the match, summarizing the current season's struggles while on the attack: "We didn't feel like the gap was that big. They were really good in front of goal, they took their chances well. It's been kind of been the story of our season in terms of not being able to finish those opportunities."
Brian Schmetzer spoke more about the state of the team after the match, analyzing the reality, but as well as the facts: "We still lost only three out of our last 19 games, that stat is still a fact ... They [LAFC] got beat at home by Columbus pretty good. 5-1. And they said it was kind of a good reset for them, and so what I told our guys, what I told the coaching staff, what I am going to reflect on is this is a good reset."
The MLS will pause until August 25th, where the Sounders will travel to Minnesota United to for game 26. Meanwhile, the 2024 Leagues Cup will begin at the end of the month, where, coincidentally, the Sounders will host Minnesota United for the opening match of West Group 6.
Cover Photo: Dakota Grim / Area Sports Network
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