Lasting struggles against LAFC: Sounders shutout at home as Leagues Cup run ends in Quarterfinals
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA – Coming off impressive results against the LA Galaxy and PUMAS UNAM in the previous rounds of this year's Leagues Cup tournament, the perceived homefield advantage, and their generally strong run of form over the past few months, it felt as though the Seattle Sounders FC was destined to put up a strong fight against LAFC in the first of two matches in two different competitions between the clubs in a span of about eleven days. Instead of any of those circumstances going in the positive direction favoring the Sounders, it was the same story as when these teams met late last month as LAFC once again blew out Seattle for an identical result of 3-0. Defensive miscues, a characteristic of this Sounders team from last season and the early part of this season, played a big role in the first two goals that LAFC scored, and Seattle couldn’t recover despite some solid possession throughout the course of the match.
Early mistakes prove to be too much
Like their match against PUMAS, the Sounders started things off slowly as their opponent was the first one to really create dangerous possession as LAFC got some dangerous balls into the Seattle box starting in the fifth minute. Mateusz Bogusz, who scored twice the last time these teams met, created some space for himself through a gap in the Sounders backline but his shot was high and easy for Stefan Frei to block in goal before it was cleared for a corner kick. The gap in the Seattle defense seemed to foreshadow a glaring problem that LAFC was going to exploit throughout the rest of the match, and they did just so seven minutes after the Bogusz attempt. LAFC defender Maxime Chanot saw an opportunity to strike from the backline, and he attacked by sending a towering ball that was perfectly on track for a streaking Ryan Hollingshead, who was able to get past the Sounders backline before slotting a shot past Stefan Frei in a one-on-one situation to put the away side on the board first. While Chanot played a great ball in, Seattle defender Alex Roldan was too caught up with clinging himself to Denis Bouanga that he had allowed Hollingshead to run free in behind, creating a defensive blunder that allowed a quality side an easy chance at goal.
LAFC’s Ryan Hollingshead celebrates his goal that opened the scoring against Seattle Sounders FC, in LA’s 3-0 win in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals match at Lumen Field on Saturday, August 17th, 2024. (Photos by Rio Giancarlo)
Following the opening goal of the match both sides traded a quality chance with one another as Seattle attempted to bring things level, and considering the early possession that they had it almost certainly felt as though they could do so, but it was LAFC who found the back of the net once again. A corner from Mateusz Bogusz was initially headed away but not far enough out of harm's way, as LAFC kept it in and the bouncing ball in the 18-yard box eventually found its way to Kei Kamara, who athletically volleyed the ball through a crowd of bodies and past Frei to double the visiting sides lead just eleven minutes after the first score. First it was failing to recognize the free runner down the wing, and secondly it was an inability to clear a bouncing ball off a set piece as the Sounders saw themselves in a first half hole that was primarily their own doing. While we’ve seen an offensive outpour from Seattle in the past two matches leading into this quarterfinals contest, there would be no such effort to get them back into this battle.
No comeback here
In the 20+ minutes after the second LAFC goal, the Sounders dominated possession and the chances in this match, with some close calls but nothing really that had anyone thinking that they deserved a better fate. Seattle was getting to deeper areas of the LAFC half of the field, but they weren’t able to get into the truly dangerous areas that they had in the past two matches to get on the board and the set piece wizardry that they’d displayed in those aforementioned games wasn’t working for them today either. It was disappointing to see that the Rave Green wasn’t able to get an immediate equalizer, but going into halftime there was still the hope for a potential comeback considering that a two-goal lead is the “most dangerous” such advantage in soccer given how many teams have come back from it in so many iterations of the sport, and the strong possession they’d displayed in the first half didn’t hurt either. Alas, once again when the Sounders needed to be the one to strike first in a critical moment, it was LAFC who rose to the occasion to put the final nail in the coffin of Seattle’s Leagues Cup hopes.
Albert Rusnák, the man of the match for the Sounders in their thrashing of PUMAS in the Round of 16, attempted a flick from the edge of the 16-yard box into the center in an attempt to lead Jordan Morris for a quick one-touch on goal, but the ball was too far ahead of the Mercer Island native and instead snatched quickly by LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Lloris quickly collected the flick, and ran to the edge of the box where he got a line drive of a kickoff to the other end of the pitch where his teammate Denis Bouanga was in a footrace with Yeimar, a Sounders defender who was not going to win that contest, and Bouanga beat Frei in a one-on-one situation to give LAFC the three-goal lead that ultimately was the final result on the scoreboard. Taking advantage of mistakes, finding openings, and striking quickly when the opportunity arises: all things that winning teams can do, as LAFC exemplified in this match, making a mockery of the Sounders in the process.
Seattle proves they’re not in MLS’ elite
This result is disappointing on a few levels for the Sounders, and especially to some considering that it comes just a few days after the summer transfer window closed with Seattle not making any moves to help bolster this season's roster. It’s clear that the Sounders remain a level below LAFC and the rest of the top clubs in MLS currently, and Seattle seems to be in the middling part of the table in a place that they’ll stay this year. Unless they’re somehow able to raise their level of play to a different gear, the Sounders are set to be a team that makes the MLS Cup playoffs but won’t make any serious noise towards getting another trophy. It ultimately isn’t the end of the world, crazier things have happened and the playoffs in any sport always have their upsets and dark horse candidates to go deep, but reality seems to be telling us that Seattle is not a contender that we’ve grown accustomed to them being in years past. There’s still some opportunity to make noise, ironically including the U.S. Open Cup battle against this same LAFC roster, but there does seem to be a solid ceiling for what this year's Sounders team can do.
Quick Sounders notes
19,643 was the announced attendance at Lumen Field tonight for this Leagues Cup Quarterfinals match between LAFC and our Seattle Sounders FC.
That’s 28% of full capacity at Lumen Field (68,740).
Sounders FC bows out of Leagues Cup 2024 in the Quarterfinals, finishing the competition with a 3-2-0 record.
Seattle is now 5-5-0 all-time in Leagues Cup action.
Jackson Ragen recorded his 100th appearance across all competitions for Seattle. The centerback signed with the First Team prior to the 2022 season after playing for Tacoma Defiance in 2021.
The Rave Green are 0-3-0 against LAFC this season and have been outscored 8-1. The two sides meet again on Wednesday, August 28 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Semifinals at Starfire Stadium.
Stefan Frei started in goal for Seattle on Saturday, his first start of Leagues Cup 2024. Andrew Thomas had previously started all of Seattle's matches in the tournament.
What’s next?
Following tonight’s blowout defeat to LAFC at home, our Seattle Sounders FC have now been eliminated from this year's Leagues Cup but still have another competition to look forward to in addition to the current MLS season where they sit in a playoff spot. Before the Sounders and LAFC meet once again in eleven days in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals match at Starfire, Seattle has an MLS regular-season contest to divert their attention to on Saturday, August 24th when they battle Minnesota United FC at Allianz Field with a 3:30PM PDT kickoff time that will be broadcast live on Apple TV – MLS Season Pass and FOX. While the Sounders have largely seen success in head-to-head competitions against Minnesota, this is a unique scenario for Seattle as they’ll be trying to prepare for that U.S. Open Cup contest just four days after they battle the Loons, so the Rave Green coaching staff will have some decisions to make and circumstances to keep in mind.
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