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LAFC extract revenge against Seattle Sounders with 4-1 victory

The reigning MLS Cup Champions are out of the MLS is Back Tournament, after LAFC handed the Seattle Sounders FC a major beating, taking down the Sounders, 4-1.
LAFC MLS is Back Sounders

Orlando, Florida — The Western Conference Final from last year was on the minds of the Los Angeles FC players tonight. Those who returned from last year’s LAFC team knew the story well. After dominating the Seattle Sounders in regular season action for two years, the Sounders came back and advanced to the MLS Cup Final.

Eventually, Seattle won the whole thing. This year, a different team will lift up the MLS is Back Tournament trophy — albeit, this is the first-ever tournament.

Seattle is out of the knockout rounds, after falling to LAFC, 4-1. The Los Angeles club put on a dominant performance, to say the least, in Orlando. Seattle’s defense was exposed many times, and it’s hard to believe that LAFC only scored two goals.

The chances were plentiful for LAFC and not as evident for the Sounders. LAFC got on the board early, as Diego Rossi earned a penalty kick for Los Angeles. On the play, Xavier Arreaga chopped Rossi inside the box — barely.

Rossi took the penalty kick, lining it up perfectly. Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei did dive the right way, but couldn’t stop the shot. Later in the first half, the Sounders had a major gaffe on defense from Shane O’Neill. The former Orlando City SC center back attempted to use his arm to deflect a shot.

However, he deflected it into his own goal. Despite O’Neill having the final contact, the goal was rewarded to Latif Blessing.

Seattle did find some closure with a goal from Will Bruin. The 30-year-old tore his ACL almost a year ago, and came back with a major goal. Finally, Rossi and Brian Rodriguez put the final nail in Seattle’s coffin with two goals late in the evening.

Three takeaways from the LAFC win over the Sounders

  • Welcome back Will: It’s always great to see a player come back from injury. Will Bruin was having a heck of a season with the Sounders last year before tearing his ACL. Now, it seems that Bruin is back to his old ways, scoring and becoming a super substitute for the Sounders. It’s a shame we’ll have to wait a few more weeks or months to see him in action again.
  • To the victor, the spoils: LAFC had a chip on their shoulder in this game. Yes, LAFC does have the advantage in numbers with wins over Seattle. However, that Western Conference Final left a bitter taste in LAFC’s mouth. They were determined tonight and were the better team for a solid 80 minutes.
  • Too little, too late: Fresh legs made the difference for the Seattle Sounders, once Joevin Jones and Bruin entered the match. Seattle will need to figure out the situation on defense. Right now, it doesn’t seem like O’Neill and Arreaga are the right options. And, it’s even more difficult with Arreaga being a Designated Player. However, Brian Schmetzer needs to look long and hard at his CB options.

What’s Next? 

Los Angeles FC will take on Orlando City SC in the Quarterfinals. That match will happen on Friday at 7:30 p.m. EST. The rest of the MLS Bracket can be found here.

The Goals for LAFC and Seattle Sounders 

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