LAFC defeated the Seattle Sounders 2-1 at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif., on Friday evening.
Both teams started the match at a blistering pace, with Seattle and LAFC exchanging quality chances inside the first six minutes.
The Sounders opened the scoring in the 14th minute when Cristian Roldan won possession high up the field and drove past four defenders before firing a low, driven ball to the back post that forced Jesús Murillo into an own goal.
LAFC nearly posted an immediate equalizer, only for Stefan Frei to deny José Cifuentes from close range.
The Rave Green nearly doubled their lead in the 32nd minute when Xavier Arreaga latched onto Albert Rusnák’s corner kick but the Ecuadorian defender put his shot wide of the post.
LAFC then leveled the match three minutes later when Kwadwo Opoku picked out the bottom corner with a powerful shot from outside the box.
Chicho Arango almost found the go-ahead goal in the 41st minute but was denied by a fantastic point-blank reaction save by Frei. LAFC’s pressure paid off two minutes later when Cifuentes’ cross found an open Carlos Vela, whose first-time shot ended up in the back of the net.
Seattle made a few tactical adjustments in the second half, switching to a 3-5-2 about 10 minutes after the break, but were unable to find the equalizing goal.
THREE TAKEAWAYS
QUICK TURN
The Sounders will need to bounce back quickly from the loss to LAFC as they host FC Dallas (7:08 p.m. PT; FOX 13+, Prime Video, 93.3 KJR FM, El Rey 1360AM | TICKETS) at Lumen Field on Tuesday night. A win against Dallas, who sits three points clear of Seattle in 5th place in the Western Conference, would boost the Rave Green’s push for the postseason.
FANTASTIC FREI
As has been the case all season, Frei was stellar in goal on Friday night. The Sounders’ longtime goalkeeper made six stops against LAFC, and his pair of reaction saves in the first half kept Seattle in the match.
CRUCIAL RUN
Four of Seattle’s next five matches come against teams that sit above them in the Western Conference standings. A string of positive results could see the Sounders climb up the table and into the playoff spots.
