Sounders FC surprising 5-2 rout of former Bogey team LAFC checked all the boxes. After a loss and draw to start their MLS campaign, the Sounders hosted LAFC in a must-win game, if there is such a thing, as a must win game three games into a 34-game regular season. The bottom line is that the Sounders played one of their best offensive halves in club history when thier backs were against the wall.
SHUFFLED LINE UPS
Both clubs started a mixture of regulars and subs due to the upcoming Confederation of North, Central American, and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF matches. MLS and Liga MX commissioners wanted to see more competitive cup tournaments outside their leagues regular season play. Great for fans and television, but not so much for coaches and players. The onslaught of games causes constant lineup changes.
While players want to play every game, coaches have to temper that enthusiasm and keeper a picture lens. In Saturday’s contest, Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer inserted Andrew Thomas in goal, Jonathan Bell, for Nouhou, Joao Paulo, Dann Lyva in the midfield with Pau Rothrock, Kalani Kossa- Rienzi, Danny Musovik, Pedro de a Vega, Jesus Ferreira. Jackson Ragen and Yeimar were the two hold-over starters.
GOOD START
As expected, the game was disjointed at the start. The unexpected was the immediate impact of Kalani Kossa-Rienzi and Paul Rothrock. Kossa-Rienzi and Rothrock were making their second starts of the season. The two young guns’ speed and ball-handling skills created space in the open field. Rothrock was a big reckless with his passes and on-ball movement. Kossa- Rienzi showed maturity and patience when he stayed onside waiting for a pass from Ferreira.
Once Ferreira hit the ball into space, Kossa-Rienze chased it down the right flank, pirouetted left to the front of the goal and unleashed shot past LAFC netminder Thomas Hasal for the 1-0 lead. With the lead just 12 minutes into the game, the Sounders let their foot off the pedal and allowed the visitors to grow into the game.
ANOTHER DEFENSIVE MISCUE
A Pedro de la Vega injury saw the insertion of Albert Rusnâck into the game. LAFC took advantage of the Sounders’ pedestrian play and scored the equalizer on another defensive mishap. Andrew Thomas attempted to clear an LAFC corner but whiffed on the play due to a collision with Jackson Ragen. A melee ensued in the goal box , with several Sounder FC players trying to kick the ball away and several LAFC players trying to kick the ball into the back of the net. When the dust settled, the visitors equalized after Nathan Ordaz’s booted the ball into the back of the Sounders’ goal past the grounded Thomas.
A BRILLIANT HALF
The halftime insertion of Morris for Musovski, who put in a yeoman’s shift, tilted the game toward the Sounders. Morris’s speed allowed him to get behind the LAFC defense and open up pockets for Fererria, Rusnack, and Rothrock.
“ We addressed our movement behind their defenders and into channels at halftime,” said Schmetzer. “ We just addressed a lot of the things that we worked on in preseason, just to remind them because a lot of coaching is just reminders. They took the information, they listened, and they applied it, and they were successful,” added Schmetzer.
Rothrock switched from the left to the right side of the field and put the Sounders ahead in the 57th minute after an exquisite pass from Rusnáck. The Sounders’ attack accelerated to fourth gear with the insertions of the Roldan brothers, Cristian and Alex, in the 71st minute.
CREATING SPACE
With Rothrock rambling down the field on either flank and creating space in the middle, Rusnáck, Leyva, Morris, and Cristian Roldan found space and pockets between the LAFC defense. Rothrock’s pass to Morris in the 77th minute saw the Mercer Island native become the team’s all-time goal scorer at 87 when he blasted the ball into the back of the net for a 3-1 Sounders lead. Cristian Roldand’s left-footed blast from the top of the box extended the lead to 4-1.
ANOTHER DEFENSIVE LAPSE
In all competition this young season the Soundes have had a defensive mishap that has gifted a goal to the opponent. Another defensive mishap by the Sounders saw LAFC get a second goal. LAFC forward David Martinez stole the ball from Jonathan Ball and rambled down the heart of the Sounders defense, unabated, for an easy score goal. Georgi Minoungou’s three step-over dribble pass to Rusnâck resulted in another Sounders goal. The Ivorian dashed towards the end line and at the last moment fed a sitter to Rusnâck, who blasted the ball into the back of the net and killed the game at 5-2.
BIG PICTURE
The Sounders played free-flowing, creative, and entertaining soccer in the second half. It must be exhilarating for Schmetzer to score four goals in the second half against his former bogey team. Going into the contest, the Sounders were 1-11 against LAFC. The lone win was in last years Western Conference quarterfinals.
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GAME NOTES
• Sounders FC now sits tied for fourth place in the Western Conference with four points (1-1-1).
• Following the result, Seattle is now 4-9-4 against LAFC in regular-season play since the Southern California side joined the league in 2018. The Rave Green have a 3-1-0 advantage against LAFC in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
• With his goal today, Jordan Morris became the Rave Green’s all-time leading goal-scorer, bagging 87 goals since signing with Seattle prior to 2016, breaking a tie with Raúl Ruidíaz.
• Cristian Roldan found the back of the net for the first time in 2025 in the 84th minute. He scored one goal and added five assists in MLS play in 2024.
• Kalani Kossa-Rienzi scored his first MLS goal in the 11th minute. The Tacoma Defiance defender also scored last year for Seattle against Phoenix Rising FC in the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup while appearing via a Short-Term Agreement.
• Paul Rothrock scored his first goal of the season in the 57th minute. The Seattle native scored eight goals in all competitions last season.
• Albert Rusnák tallied a pair of assists on the goals by Rothrock and Morris, good for this second and third assists of the season. Rusnák led Seattle with 19 all-competition assists last year, a single-season club record. His goal in second-half stoppage time was good for his second in all competitions this year.
• Georgi Minoungou tallied an assist on Rusnák’s goal, his third helper in all competitions and second in MLS.
• Andrew Thomas started today’s match in goal for Seattle, making his first MLS appearance of the season. Thomas started against Antigua GFC last month in Concacaf Champions Cup action and made 15 all-competitions appearances in goal for Seattle in 2024.
• The five goals allowed by LAFC matches the most surrendered in a single game in its club history. The Black-and-Gold previously allowed five goals on four separate occasions since joining MLS in 2018.
• Brian Schmetzer rotated his lineup from Wednesday’s Concacaf Champions Cup fixture against Liga MX side Cruz Azul with Andrew Thomas, Jonathan Bell, Jesús Ferreria, Danny Leyva, João Paulo, Kalani Kossa-Rienzi, Paul Rothrock and Danny Musovski replacing Stefan Frei, Alex Roldan, Nouhou, Cristian Roldan, Obed Vargas, Albert Rusnák, Paul Arriola and Jordan Morris.
• Seattle returns to Concacaf Champions Cup action for the second leg of its Round of 16 series against Liga MX side Cruz Azul, being played in Mexico City on Tuesday, March 11 at Estadio Olímpico Universitario (5:30 p.m. PT / FOX Sports).
MATCH SUMMARY
Seattle Sounders FC 5 – Los Angeles FC 2
Saturday, March 8, 2025
Venue: Emerald Queen Casino Pitch at Lumen Field
Referees: Drew Fischer
Assistants: Brooke Mayo, Jeffrey Greeson
Fourth Official: Benjamin Meyer
VAR: Kevin Stott
Attendance: 30,107
Weather: 53 degrees and clear
SCORING SUMMARY
SEA – Kalani Kossa-Rienzi (Jesús Ferreira) 11’
LAFC – Nathan Ordaz 38’
SEA – Paul Rothrock (Albert Rusnák) 57’
SEA – Jordan Morris (Paul Rothrock) 77’
SEA – Cristian Roldan (Albert Rusnák) 84’
LAFC – David Martinez 90’+2’
SEA – Albert Rusnák (Georgi Minoungou, Cristian Roldan) 90’+4’
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
LAFC – Nkosi Tafari (caution) 69’
LINEUPS & STATS
Seattle Sounders FC – Andrew Thomas; Yeimar, Jackson Ragen, Jonathan Bell, Kalani Kossa-Rienzi (Alex Roldan 70’); João Paulo, Danny Leyva (Georgi Minoungou 88’), Paul Rothrock, Pedro de la Vega (Albert Rusnák 36’), Jesús Ferreira (Cristian Roldan 71’); Danny Musovski (Jordan Morris 46’)
Substitutes not used: Stefan Frei, Nouhou, Obed Vargas, Paul Arriola
Total shots: 15
Shots on goal: 11
Fouls: 10
Offside: 3
Corner-Kicks: 9
Saves: 1
Los Angeles FC – Thomas Hasal; Aaron Long (Marlon 46’, David Martinez 65’), Nkosi Tafari, Eddie Segura; Yaw Yeboah, Sergi Palencia (Ryan Hollingshead 46’), Adam Saldana, Marco Delgado (Igor Jesus 46’), Artem Smolyakov (Denis Bouanga 59’), Nathan Ordaz; Olivier Giroud
Substitutes not used: David Ochoa, Jeremy Ebobisse, Cengiz Under, Kenneth Nielsen
Total shots: 7
Shots on goal: 4
Fouls: 12
Offside: 1
Corner-kicks: 4
Saves: 5
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