Hometown Heroes Steal the Show

Seattle boys Kalani Kossa-Rienzi (UW, close enough), Paul Rothrock, Jordan Morris, and Cristian Roldan all score to secure the Sounders' 5-2 win against LAFC.

On a cloudy Seattle day, the Sounders had the Boogie Man come into town, and expectations were relatively low. The Seattle Sounders were scoreless in two coming in the match, and it looked like all the off-season offensive work wasn’t coming to fruition. HOWEVER, they surprised literally everyone by putting FIVE goals, four in the second, past an LAFC side who might as well not have been on the pitch.

This match also injected some much-needed life into a fixture that has often been one-sided in recent years. Despite consistently having two of the most talented rosters in the Western Conference, this was the first match we’ve seen more than three goals in regular season play since the Sounders' 4-1 loss in 2019. This was also their second regular season win in their last ten meetings with LAFC.

It’s safe to say the vibes are IMMACULATE as the Sounders head to Mexico to take on Cruz Azul for the second leg of the CCC.

The match started a bit slow, with both teams trying to feel each other out. A few positive passing sequences here and there from the Sounders, but nothing too dangerous. That was until the 10 minutes in when Jon Ball starts the play with a slightly over-hit pass to an open Jesus Ferreira, who then plays the perfect over-the-top through ball to Tacoma Defiance loanee Kalani Kossa-Riensi, who beats Artem Smolyakov in a footrace, sits his ass down, then slots it home to the far post past Hasal to make it 1-0 to the Sounders. The goal set the tone for a get-right game against LAFC. Minutes later, LAFC had a chance to level the game, but Kossa-Rienzi was putting in the defensive work as he put in a block inside the area to deny a dangerous shot.

HYPE

LAFC kept the pressure on the Sounders’ defense but did not threaten Andrew Thomas much. The equalizer came in the 38th minute, as Andrew Thomas poorly mishandled a corner kick played by Smolyakov. Nathan Ordaz had a one-touch shot blocked by João Paulo, but after a bouncing ball around the six-yard box, the young Salvadoran slammed home the rebound from point-blank range to make it 1-1.

Both teams made significant changes at halftime. LAFC brought on regular starters Igor Jesus, Ryan Hollingshead, and Marlon, while Schmetzer introduced Morris for Musovski, who had a disappointing outing. It felt like a tale of two halves. The second half was all Seattle, as they pounced on a lifeless LAFC that looked like it didn’t even want to be there.

Ten minutes into the second half, Albert Rusnak played the perfect ball to a wide-open Paul Rothrock, who hit an absolute thundercunt of a shot from way past the 18 to beat Hasal on his left side. There was a VAR check for offside, which, to be fair, there absolutely was some interference on Jesus Ferriera’s part, so thank you, Kevin Scott and VAR, for not taking that away. From this point on, the floodgates were open.

In the 77th minute, Paul Rothrock received a pass and cut inside to the edge of the penalty box from the right wing. Then, Jordan Morris made a darting run behind the LAFC defense. Paul slid a simple through ball to Morris’ feet and nutmegged Thomas Hasal to make it 3-1. He immediately pointed to the sky, and the hometown kid kissed the badge.

It was his 87th goal in all competitions for the Sounders — making him the club’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing Raul Ruidiaz.

Cristian Roldan made it 4-1 and cemented the result for Seattle in the 84th minute. Seattle played some beautiful passing sequences around the box before Roldan took a few touches at the top of the area before tucking his shot with his weaker foot.

David Martinez got himself a garbage time goal when he easily dribbled through the gut of Seattle’s defense from midfield into the box and poked his shot just out of the reach of Big Andy T to make it 4-2. I’m slightly concerned by how easily the young Venezuelan went through the entire team, but I’ll chalk that up to a slight lapse of concentration. The scoreline only lasted two minutes. Georgi Minoungou went to work in the 94th minute, decimating Yaw Yeboah and finding Rusnák at the edge of the 6-yard box for a simple tap-in to finish the game 5-2.

Jordan Makes History

What can I say? It was bound to happen, and we all expected it at any moment. Had there ever been a better way to accomplish this, it was at Lumen Field. In the 77th minute, Jordan Morris scored to become the club's top all-time goal scorer with 87 goals in all competitions. I will admit that I am a certified hater, but I have to give credit where credit is due. The guy deserves his flowers. I said it in my last article, and I’ll say it again: he is not a DP-level striker in this league and will not go down as the Sounders’ best-ever striker. That title still goes to Raul Ruidiaz, and I will continue to shout that from the mountaintops. But one thing is for certain and that this couldn’t have gone to a better person. Jordan absolutely deserves this and whatever other accolades he gets this year. He will go down as the best Homegrown player in MLS history. There is no question about that. If he keeps this pace, I do not doubt he will make it to 100 goals in all competitions by the end of the year.

All Hail the 3421

Brian Schmetzer and the Seattle Sounders opted to mirror LAFC’s 343 instead of sticking with the tried and true 4231 formation. Schmetz alluded to utilizing a three-at-the-back system more this season to better play to the players’ strengths. The Sounders kept that shape all first half until Pedro de la Vega went down, and they brought on Albert Rusnak in the 41st minute. However, it wasn’t until the second half that you noticed an immediate formation shift. The Sounders used Rusnak and Jesus Ferreira as dual 10s, with Jordan up top, Paul Rothrock and KKR and, later, Alex Roldan as wingbacks.

Obviously, the players weren’t this high up the pitch, but you get the picture. Having that creative stability with Albert and Jesus in the middle of the park helped the Sounders take full control of the game. Their combination play with Jordan up top and the wingbacks proved that all their offseason work wasn’t for nothing. The second half ended with the Sounders keeping 60% possession, 13 shots with 10 on target, creating four big chances, doubled their touches in the final third, and had an astronomical amount of touches in LAFC’s box compared to the first half. They did all this while snuffing out nearly every possible LAFC attack, with Paul, KKR, and Alex putting in the defensive work.

Our rotation is better than yours

The Seattle Sounders and LAFC went into the match with heavily rotated sides, thanks to their short rest due to the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Despite the rotation, it was clear as day that the Sounders’ rotation pieces were a cut above what LAFC put out. Bar Danny Musovski—we’ll get to him in a later article—any one of the Sounders’ “second team” players could start and succeed in MLS.

Man of the Match

Paul Rothrock got the MOTM accolades, and he absolutely deserved them. But for me, that honor goes to Albert Rusnak, who came on in the first half for an injured Pedro de la Vega. Rusnak ended the match with the most chances created (3) and the most shots on target (4), completed 31/35 passes, and had a goal and two assists. It’s like he was back to his best after a slightly lackluster start to the year.

Next up is Cruz Azul tomorrow, and it would easily be the Sounders’ most challenging test yet. After failing to get a positive result against their B team at home, I have little hope for a win, but man, would it feel pretty damn good if we managed to sneak one in and move on to the next round.