RENTON, WASH. – Major League Soccer this evening announced the dates and times for the next round of the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs, with Sounders FC set to face LAFC in the Western Conference Semifinals on Saturday, November 23 at BMO Stadium (7:30 p.m. PT / Apple TV, iHeartMedia Seattle, El Rey 1360 AM).
With Round One concluding this evening around the league, the Rave Green now hit the road to face the West’s top seed in the Western Conference Semifinals, which returns to the single-elimination format following the best-of-three series played in Round One.
Sounders FC advanced past Houston Dynamo FC in its Round One matchup, defeating the Texas side with consecutive shootout wins in the best-of-three series on October 28 and November 3. LAFC needed all three fixtures to advance past Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Round One, ending with a 1-0 home win last night. LAFC finished the 2024 MLS regular season atop the Western Conference with 64 points (19-8-7), while Seattle came in fourth with 57 points (16-9-9).
Seattle and LAFC have developed a heated rivalry over the years that has extended into postseason action. Sounders FC first defeated the Supporters’ Shield-winning Black and Gold in the 2019 Western Conference Final, sending Seattle on its way to claim its second MLS Cup title weeks later. In 2020, the clubs met again – this time in the first round of postseason action – and Sounders FC again secured a victory, eventually advancing to the championship match yet again, but ultimately falling to Columbus Crew SC. LAFC defeated Seattle in the Western Conference Semifinals last season, then eliminated the Rave Green in the Semifinals of both the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and Leagues Cup 2024 this season.
