Another edition of the Sounders vs LAFC rivalry took place on Saturday afternoon, and the seven-goal game had the Sounders picking up their first win of the season with a 5-2 victory.
Brian Schmetzer sent out one of the most, if not, the most unpredictable lineup in his Sounders coaching career, sending out a 3-4-3 and making notable changes such as keeping Stefan Frei on the bench for promising backup Andrew Thomas; Musovski over Jordan Morris; Leyva in the midfield alongside Joao Paulo. Schmetzer also left other key players on the bench including both of the Roldan brothers, Nouhou, Arriola, Vargas, Rusnak, and Minoungou.
“Yes it feels really good, but our record against them is still 4-9-4, so we still have some work to do, but days like today, we’re gonna enjoy the moment. That locker room is extremely happy.”
LAFC made three changes at halftime, replacing Aaron Long, Sergi Palencia, and Marco Delgado for Marlon, Ryan Hollingstead, and Igor Jesus respectively. Additionally, the Sounders brought on Jordan Morris for Danny Musovski, who had an unexpected starting role in the game.
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Kalani Kossa-Rienzi, a Defiance short-term loanee, opened the scoring as well as his MLS goal-scoring account after a gorgeous through-ball from Jesus Ferreira. While not yet signed onto the first team at the time of this game, Kalani made an instant impact and continues to strengthen the argument to secure a first-team contract. In 2024, the 22-year-old also scored a dramatic 88th-minute winning goal in the US Open Cup game against Phoenix Rising. When he was substituted for Alex Roldan in the 71st minute, Kossa-Rienzi was given a deserved warm standing ovation by the home support.
The young goal-scorer thought about doing his memorable flip celebration as he did after scoring the winning goal against Phoenix Rising. Instead, Kossa-Rienzi kept his first MLS goal celebration on the calmer side, saying, with a smile “it was pretty early in the game, it’s more like a closer celebration. I thought about it for sure, but I was like we got a long way to go, let’s just stay focused.”
“He’s earned the right (Kossa-Rienzi). Craig (Waibel) and I are going to have a long, hard conversation on my drive home today. Because the kid deserves to be signed to a contract. It’s not just because of the goal, that was icing on the cake. The kid has potential, he’s got talent, he’s going to be an excellent MLS player,” said Brian Schmetzer, praising the impression Kossa-Rienzi has left on the club during his short-term loan.
The following Monday, the club announced the permanent first-team signing of Kalani Kossa-Rienzi throughout the 2025 season, including club options for 2025 and 2026
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Pedro de la Vega was substituted out at the 36th minute with an apparent right quad injury and could not carry on, yielding a lot of concern for Seattle as he recently started picking up form after an injury-plagued first season with the Sounders. The Sounders were down to ten men for a few minutes until Albert Rusnak suited up. However, de la Vega was not seen getting treatment, implying that the injury may not be too serious.
Just one minute after de la Vega was replaced, LAFC went on to equalize via a corner kick that caught Andrew Thomas into a mistake, in what should have been a routine catch from the corner turned into a fumble that handed LAFC’s Nathan Ordaz the leveling goal.
Paul Rothrock put the Sounders in the lead after a ‘Rothrocket’ of a goal beat goalkeeper Thomas Hasal from outside the box, revitalizing Lumen Field with the Sounders back in the driving seat before the 60th minute.
Paul Rothrock spoke about his goal after the match, breaking it down and giving insight: “We took the corner quick, Albert spotted me at the top of the box, and it’s funny, we were having the conversations right before that happened–me and Danny (Musovski). He was like ‘you wanna go over there?’ and I was like ‘yeah.’ Kinda felt good,” as he made the room laugh.
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Jordan Morris doubled Seattle’s lead on LAFC at the 77th minute mark, breaking the Sounders all-time club goal-scoring club record. A perfect through ball from Rothrock inside the LAFC penalty area set Morris up to find the space between Hasal’s legs.
“It’s a huge honor, and to have my name on that list with other great players from the present and past … being a fan of the team, going through the academy, sitting in the stands, knowing I’d want to be on the field one day. To be in here now, it’s a huge honor, I said it after the game. It means everything to me to play for this club,” said Jordan Morris after the game, as his status of being the club’s top goal scorer was raw in his head.
Cristian Roldan made LAFC’s night worse shortly after Morris’ goal, turning the night into a satisfying victory against a club the Sounders have notably struggled against over the previous few years. LAFC’s David Martinez then followed with a goal in stoppage time to make Seattle’s imminent victory back to a two-goal margin.
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As the game was close to its end, Albert Rusnak went on to re-establish Seattle’s three-goal lead, turning the 1-1 halftime score into a seven-goal game. The game finished 5-2 and ensured the Sounders’ dominant defeat over LAFC.
The Sounders will next travel to Mexico City to face Cruz Azul in the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 second leg, where the tie currently stands scoreless after the first leg.
Cover Photo: Aimee Worthington / Area Sports Network
