Glitz, glamour and goals: Sounders slam five past LAFC

SEATTLE – The Seattle Sounders had an opportunity to bounce back after their loss to Real Salt Lake and 0-0 draw at home against Cruz Azul when they welcomed LAFC to Lumen Field, and they absolutely took it. Their 5-2 win included a first MLS goal for Kalani Kossa-Rienzi in the 11th minute, a 57th minute banger from Paul Rothrock, a 77th minute goal from Jordan Morris to set the Sounders all-competitions goal record, and 84th minute insurance goal from Cristian Roldan and a 94th minute dagger from Albert Rusnák.

João Paulo and Pedro de la Vega combined to create an early chance in the 9th minute, but de la Vega’s cross was knocked out for a corner by goalkeeper Thomas Hasal. Just two minutes later Kossa-Rienzi gave Seattle a 1-0 lead. Jesús Ferreira played KKR down the right wing with a ball into space and he took it half the length of the field, beat a defender with a cutback and smashed his shot into the far side netting. Regardless of the rotation, the goal set the tone early for a get-right game against LAFC. LAFC had a chance to level the game not long after, but it was Kossa-Rienzi once again intervening on the defensive end as he put in a block inside the area to deny a dangerous shot.

LA did find an equalizer late in the first half on a goal mouth scramble from a corner. In the 38th minute Andrew Thomas attempted to come off his line and punch the service away, but got hung up on Jackson Ragen as he tried to jump for the ball and it fell to the ground with a pile of players around it. Two blocked shots later and Nathan Ordaz finally managed to put a third attempt in the back of the net to send the two teams into halftime level.

It didn’t take long for the Sounders to get back on top, as Paul Rothrock scored a screamer just before the hour mark. Seattle took a short corner in the 57th minute, with Rusnák and Danny Leyva combining before Rusnák played the ball to Rothrock at the top of the box. LAFC gave him space to pick his head up and he made them pay, smashing his shot from 25 yards out to beat Hasal and make it 2-1. At that point Rothrock and the rest of the squad were clearly feeling themselves. Rothrock nearly created another goal in the 74th minute when he burned Ryan Hollingshead and left him on the ground before driving into the box and hitting a ball into the mixer but Hasal blocked it down and smother the ball before anyone got the rebound. Three minutes later in the 77th had provided the assist as Jordan Morris made history, sliding a clever pass between defenders for Morris to run onto and hit his shot through Hasal’s legs to claim the top spot in the all-competitions scoring chart of the Sounders with 87 goals.

Cristian Roldan made it 4-1 and pretty clearly claimed the result for Seattle in the 84th minute. Seattle showed some slick passing around the box before Roldan took a few touches at the top of the area before tucking his shot into the corner while the GK watched.

David Martinez did create a little bit of tension in the second minute of stoppage time when he fairly easily dribbled through the gut of Seattle’s defense from midfield into the box and poked his shot out of the reach of Thomas to make it 4-2. That scoreline only lasted a little while as substitute Georgi Minoungou went to work in the 94th minute, burning Yaw Yeboah and finding Rusnák at the edge of the 6-yard box for a simple first-time finish to make it 5-2.

Key moments

9 - Cross! JP plays a pass to de la Vega in a pocket of space on the right and he sends in a cross that Hasal knocks out for a corner.

11 - GOAL! Kalani Kossa-Rienzi gets a pass into space on the right from Ferreira, drives into the box and beats his man to create space for a shot and puts it into the side netting! 1-0 Sounders

17 - Block! KKR helps out on the defensive end, this time sliding in to block a shot at the edge of Seattle’s six-yard box.

38 - Goal, LAFC. Andrew Thomas comes out to get a corner but gets hung up on a defender and after the ball bounces around Nathan Ordaz punches it in. 1-1

57 - GOAL! Paul Rothrock gets the ball outside of the area after a short corner gets worked around to him and he absolutely rips it into the side netting from 25 yards out! 2-1 Sounders

74 - Heat check! Rothrock leaves Hollingshead on the ground as he drives into the box and hits a ball into the box that nearly creates a rebound but Hasal collects.

77 - GOAL! Jordan Morris makes it three after a great slip pass from Rothrock puts him in space in the box, and he nutmegs Hasal! 3-1 Sounders

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84 - GOAL! This time it’s Cristian Roldan after some nice passing around the box. Roldan takes a few touches to open up a shot and slots it in at the far corner. 4-1

90+2 - Goal, LAFC. David Martinez rides a few challenges as he dribbles through the midfield and beats Andy Thomas with a shot from 8 yards out. 4-2 Sounders

94 - Goal! Georgi Minoungou dices up Yaw Yeboah just inside the box and finds Albert Rusnák for a first-time finish from the edge of the 6-yard box! 5-2 Sounders

Quick thoughts

Paulie Primetime: Paul Rothrock had a breakout season in 2024 cut short at a crucial time by an injury that delayed his ability to get involved in preseason this year and has slowed his integration and ability to contribute in MLS or CCC prior to today’s game. He’s been rusty, but Brian Schmetzer has given him opportunities to work through that and it paid off today. Although the first half was largely more of the same for him, his second half was a bit more spectacular. His goal was remarkable, and it clearly seemed to lift a weight from his shoulders as he played with more freedom and more of the spark he showed last season. It was fitting that he provided the assist as Morris became the club’s leading scorer. He’s probably not replacing anyone in the “ideal XI” at this point, but he’ll keep getting opportunities to show the quality he showed today.

That’s a winning streak: Maybe it’s premature or silly, but after having gone winless in 10 games against LAFC the Sounders have now won their last two meetings with Steve Cherundolo’s side. It had been nearly four years since Seattle beat them in league play, last winning 2-0 on May 16, 2021. A lot has changed in the time since, but the Sounders couldn’t seem to get that particular monkey off of their back. The win comes at a perfect time, as Seattle now head into a crucial game against Cruz Azul down in Mexico City on Tuesday with their confidence high and their place in the league table a little more secure.

Seattle’s favorite son: Jordan Morris is your Seattle Sounders leading scorer in all competitions, passing Raul Ruidiaz (86 goals) with his 87th goal today. He’s only three goals behind Ruidiaz (71) in MLS, with 68. There’s something truly special about Morris, a homegrown player who’s from the area, being the one to hold the record. He’s a Designated Player thanks to his performances over the last couple of seasons, and seems likely to only keep climbing at this point as he makes that roster designation well worth the money. There’s no telling what will actually happen, but at the very least his name will always be in the record books, right where it should be.

Notable quote

Paul Rothrock on his goal: “It felt good to just have that release… I think coming back from injury is hard. You have to be patient with yourself and be ready to go when your name’s called … today felt really good, I was happy with how today went and hopefully we have more of those moments.”

Player spotlight

Danny Leyva – Other players may have had higher-profile contributions, but Leyva went 5/5 on duels and 107/114 passing with 17 passes into the final third.