By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Sounders 2-1 LAFC: Dream Start Seals MLS Playoff Berth

A dream start and resolute defending helped the Seattle Sounders earn their 17th playoff berth in 18 years with a 2-1 win over LAFC on Saturday night. While the win was not perfect, it was a win, and that is what was needed first and foremost. The Sounders’ last  MLS win was a 1-0 win over FC Dallas on October 14th. Things had been on a downward trend for the Sounders since the gutty road win.

The Rave Green had two losses and two draws leading up to the regular-season finale against LAFC. A 5-1 back-to-back win by Cascadia Rivals and Western Conference top dogs  Vancouver Whitecaps left the Sounders’ psyche in fragile mode, not from a belief perspective, but from a performance perspective.  It’s great to talk about togetherness and belief, and to prove it on the pitch.

DREAM START


Against LAFC, the Sounders did less talking and let their play speak for itself.  The Sounders scored the game’s first goal in under two minutes. Albert Rusnâk forced LAFC goalkeeper Cabral Carter into an errant pass into his own goal, which Cristian Roldan intercepted and passed back to Rusnâk for the dream start.  The goal invigorated the 40,171 fans who came to root for their home side and another playoff berth.

SOUNDERS CONTINUE TO  HUNT A SECOND GOAL

The Sounders continued to hunt a second goal, a change from their season-long mindset of scoring a goal and taking their foot off the pedal. A change in the team’s practice session awakened the team’s competitive drive and desire to dominate a game.  While they did not dominate after the goal, the Sounders kept pushing the ball up the pitch through both wide channels.

Things took a turn for the worse when Jesus Ferreira replaced Jordan Morris, who suffered a quad injury, dribbling the ball into the LAFC goal box in the 24th minute. The Sounders’ intricate movement on and off the ball put the LAFC backline on skates. The Rave Green were rewarded for their bravery in the 31st minute. A nifty give-and-go between Rusnák and Sebastian Gómez saw the young starlet rifle the ball into the back of the LAFC net, doubling the Sounders’ lead to 2-0. The Sounders stepped into the halftime break with the two-nil advantage.

LAFC COMES STORMING BACK


As expected, LAFC came out of the halftime break determined to attack the Sounders, using South Korean International Son Heung-Min and the ever-elusive Dennis Bouanga playing below Min. Central midfielder Leo Walta was pulling the strings in the middle of the pitch for LAFC.  The visitors’ ferocious attack flipped the script on the Sounders, who were now on their backsides in a defensive shell. With his side lacking speed on the wings and in the middle of the pitch, Schmetzer made two substitutions in the 66th minute.

Paul Arriola replaced Sebastia Gomez, and Rusnák made way for Snyder Brunell. The game became a back-and-forth affair, with LAFC winning the one-on-one battles. The visitors were awarded a penalty for their attacking prowess in the  81st minute.  Give credit to LAFC, but also shame on the Sounders for allowing another set-piece goal. Ryan Porteou’s corner kick found a wide-open Eddie Segura on the back post. The Sounders have given up nine set-piece goals this year.

SOUNDERS ABLE TO CLOSE OUT THE GAME


While they labored and suffered the remaining ten minutes of regulation and five minutes of stoppage time, the Sounders closed out the game and earned a playoff berth. Closing out games has been an issue for the Sounders. Situational awareness and bad decisions have been the culprits. That was not the case on Saturday.

POST GAME NOTE

MATCH NOTES

  • With the result, Seattle finishes the 2026 regular season in eighth place in the Western Conference with 46 points (12-12-10), clinching the No. 8 seed in the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs.
  • Seattle hosts Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference Wild Card match on Thursday, November 19 at Lumen Field (7:00 p.m. PT / Apple TV, iHeartMedia Seattle, El Rey 1360 AM). The winner advances to face top-seeded Vancouver Whitecaps FC in a Round One Best-of-3 series.
  • Seattle has now qualified for the postseason in 17 of its 18 MLS seasons (2009-2026), the most of any team since 2009.
  • Saturday marked the 20th meeting between the two sides in the regular season, with Seattle now trailing the series 5-11-4. The win improved the Rave Green to 5-2-3 against LAFC at Lumen Field in the regular season. Seattle is also 3-1-0 against LAFC in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
  • Albert Rusnák opened the scoring in the first minute, Seattle’s fastest goal of the 2026 season. It was his fifth goal of the MLS season and eighth in all competitions. The strike was the 44th of his Sounders FC career in all competitions, moving him past Obafemi Martins (43) into sole possession of seventh place in club history.
  • Sebastian Gomez doubled the lead in the 31st minute, his fourth goal of the MLS season and fifth in all competitions. The 20-year-old has three goals in his last five games.
  • Rusnák assisted on Gomez’s goal, his 16th assist of the season, all in MLS play, matching the club’s single-season record shared by Nico Lodeiro (2018) and Rusnák (2024). It was also his 54th assist for Sounders FC in all competitions, third in club history.
  • Cristian Roldan assisted on Rusnák’s opener, his sixth assist of the MLS season. It was the 83rd assist of his Sounders FC career in all competitions, second in club history.
  • Andrew Thomas played all 90 minutes, becoming just the third player in club history to play every minute of the regular season (3,060 minutes), joining Stefan Frei (2014, 2019) and Kasey Keller (2011). Thomas made seven saves on Saturday, bringing his season total to 127, sixth in MLS.
  • Saturday’s crowd of 40,171 at the club’s annual Fan Appreciation Match was Seattle’s largest home attendance of the 2026 season.
  • With the result, Sounders FC has qualified for Leagues Cup 2027, the annual Concacaf-sanctioned competition featuring 18 qualifying MLS clubs and all 18 LIGA MX clubs.

MATCH SUMMARY

Seattle Sounders FC 2 – LAFC 1

Saturday, November 7, 2026

Venue: Lumen Field

Referee: Filip Dujic

Assistants: Jeffrey Greeson, Nick Balcer

Fourth Official: Malik Badawi

VAR: Younes Marrakchi

Weather: Partly cloudy and 49 degrees

Attendance: 40,171

SCORING SUMMARY

SEA – Albert Rusnák (Cristian Roldan) 1’

SEA – Sebastian Gomez (Albert Rusnák) 31’

LAFC – Eddie Segura (Ryan Porteous, Leo Walta) 82’

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

LAFC – Sergi Palencia (caution) 73’

SEA – Jackson Ragen (caution) 76’

SEA – Kalani Kossa-Rienzi (caution) 90’

SEA – Peter Kingston (caution) 90+3’

LINEUPS & STATS

Seattle Sounders FC – Andrew Thomas; Kalani Kossa-Rienzi, Kim Kee-hee, Jackson Ragen, Nouhou; Hassani Dotson, Cristian Roldan – Captain (Peter Kingston 87’); Jordan Morris (Jesús Ferreira 24’), Albert Rusnák (Snyder Brunell 66’), Sebastian Gomez (Paul Arriola 66’); Dejan Joveljić (Paul Rothrock 87’)

Substitutes not used: Stefan Frei, Ryan Sailor, Stuart Hawkins, Caden Clark

Total shots: 5

Shots on goal: 3

Fouls: 15

Offside: 4

Corner-kicks: 2

Saves: 7

LAFC – Cabral Carter; Sergi Palencia, Ryan Porteous, Eddie Segura – Captain, Yevhen Cheberko; Mathieu Choinière (Jeremy Ebobisse 89’), Mark Delgado; Armindo Sieb (Jacob Shaffelburg 72’; Tyler Boyd 79’), Leo Walta, Denis Bouanga; Son Heung-Min

Substitutes not used: Thomas Hasal, Nkosi Tafari, Ryan Hollingshead, Kenny Nielsen, Igor Jesus, Sergio Vásquez

Total shots: 24

Shots on goal: 8

Fouls: 15

Offside: 1

Corner-kicks: 12

Saves: 1

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