As a cultural phenomenon, the Seattle Sounders defy expectations so often it shouldn’t surprise you. Playing on the road, against top-seeded LAFC, a team with stars at every position that had beaten Seattle multiple times in a row, including in several knockout competitions this season, the casual Sounders fan was not optimistic. The casual fan, though, doesn’t understand the culture, the desire, the cohesiveness, the depth, and the credo of this team that perseveres in the face of adversity. When Seattle and LAFC met last weekend, a tactical wrinkle meant the first half was dominated by the defense and organization of the away team. After halftime, the vaunted LAFC attack started to click, long enough to score a goal. But this just woke up the Sounders, who pushed forward in waves, forced an own goal, and had LA completely rattled as they searched for another. A few unfortunate late injuries again changed the momentum, and you might have thought the #1 seed was going to turn it on late or finally exert their will in overtime. Ha. They forgot about Stefan Frei: the Great Wall of Seattle, the Swiss Dismiss. The only legendary goalie in the match repeatedly denied LAFC, then after some Jordan Morris magic, Frei kept that lead and dragged Seattle into the next round via a 2-1 win.
Why we are gonna win it all: Seattle was eliminated from multiple cup competitions by LAFC this season, and with them out of the way it’s wide open for the Sounders to earn a third star.
Goalkeeper
Stefan Frei – 10 (MOTM) | Community – 9.5 (MOTM)
Ratings can be hard. This one wasn’t. On the vibes front, this was about a 15. Stats-wise, Frei did everything asked of him and more. He had NINE saves. He removed over two expected goals for LA. He saved shots he couldn’t see, he ran into the post preventing attempts, he was beaten and battered and stepped on and yet, every time the assorted California stars attempted to kick the ball behind him he resolutely denied them. He was the epitome of a brick wall, if that brick wall was covered in sick tattoos and also didn’t give up any rebounds. Stefan Frei did such a great job that Hodor owes him an apology. He did everything in his power to keep his team in it, constantly buying time and creating a gamestate of pressure, until Jordan Morris could cash it in. Superlatives aside, this wasn’t a shutout, but it was a match where Seattle desperately needed the kind of “step up” performance Stef brought. Someone had to finally play out of their mind, to overcome the streak and the pressure and the road and injuries and all those elements against the team. Frei did that. He had an outsized influence on the match, a heroic effort this team needed to flip the script.
Why we are gonna win it all: Name a better MLS playoff goalie. Ever. I’ll wait.
Defense
Reed Baker-Whiting – 5 | Community – 6.5 (off 96’ for Atencio)
A surprise start for Reed meant a brand new left side of the team, and there were definite growing pains. A lot of this game was played very quickly in either direction around tight, physical midfield battles. RBW struggled with this, at times looking lost tactically and unsure where he fit into the team. He wasn’t an offensive impact, but made sure to prioritize his defensive duties. There are a lot of things to improve on: 75 percent passing, only a single touch in the LAFC box, losing over half his duels, winning only half his tackles, but these things will come. With everyone around him playing very high level soccer, it was notable when he struggled to keep up with the play, and he had a near-disastrous mistake in the 93rd minute. There were also a few moments he could build on, specifically a beautiful curling pass up the wing in the 17th minute, a number of excellent crosses in the 57th, and great hustling recovery defense in the 79th. The bar of play was set extremely high in this one, and he was under the rest of the team.
Why we are gonna win it all: Reed getting road playoff minutes (and a lot of them) shows every single young player and substitute that you may be asked to step up in the biggest moments and you have to be ready.
Jon Bell – 7 | Community – 7.0
Jon Bell was another surprise addition to the lineup after Nouhou was ruled out, and like his prior games, Bell stepped in and played almost flawlessly. His recovery speed and control on the left complemented the central fulcrum of Jackson Ragen and Cristian Roldan, as Seattle in the first half put on a flawless performance in translating tactics from Longacres to BMO stadium. From the bench to playing 120 minutes, Bell was ready for LAFC and they weren’t ready for him. He won possession, controlled the ball, and was a consistent presence on the left to support Reed, making tireless recovery runs to the width. Outside of a bad turnover in the 93rd minute, he was clean on defense and gave Seattle more bite on set pieces. Nearly scoring in the first half, he led the Sounders with four shots, constantly putting pressure on LA, who couldn’t handle his athleticism in dead ball situations. The combination across the back looked cohesive, although going up the left side there wasn’t a lot of Sounders success.
Why we are gonna win it all: Bell crashing the back post created pressure with Morris that forced the own goal. It was his chaotic effort again in the box that helped give Morris time to re-establish position and cook in extra time. This kind of effort was team-wide.
Jackson Ragen – 8 | Community – 7.8
The finalist for MLS Defensive Player of the Year showed up at LAFC and proved why he was a finalist. Combining with Cristian Roldan for 225 touches, Seattle controlled the middle possession through these two distributors. Ragen was fantastic throughout with 93 percent passing, nine of 12 on-field long balls, and 14 crucial defensive actions including six clearances. Time and again, his positioning meant LAFC and their fancy French striker weren’t able to pierce the middle, and more importantly, his calm distribution eliminated most counter pressing attempts. When he did make an error, in the 50th minute, it was immediately recycled into a goal against, the one blemish on an otherwise heroic effort. Playing with a central distributor has this risk, and the offset was the control and possession Seattle was able to keep through the rest of the match.
Why we are gonna win it all: After casually pocketing Olivier Giroud all match, In the 94th minute superhuman Denis Bouanga got free and had a vertical run, the type he scores against Seattle constantly. Ragen said no. In the 107th minute, the league’s second leading scorer again came up against some homegrown kid and again, Ragen prevailed. That hustle, refusing to turn off even for a second in 120 minutes, was on display.
Yeimar – 8 | Community – 7.6 (off injured 66’ for Nathan)
While those around him may have had more fancy numbers, there’s a reason Bouanga didn’t do much for the first 65 minutes: he was wearing a blanket called Yeimar. Time and again, LAFC tried to go central to flick wide to runners and time and again they were denied by the speed and strength of Yeimar who may match up with Bouanga better than anyone in the league. In a competition that has been incredibly close, yet dominated by one team winning individual battles, Yeimar won this one by denying the opponents any purchase down his side. This kind of performance was the norm, not the exception for the somehow consistently underappreciated Yeimar. Unfortunately, he came up lame late, and his absence was surely felt by Seattle. He’ll be back.
Why we are gonna win it all: Yeimar was so dialed in, he got a yellow card from the bench for trying to push the injured Baker-Whiting back on the field to help delay the match.
Alex Roldan – 7 | Community – 7.2 (off 106’ for João Paulo)
Alex Roldan had a rough start to the season but, hoo-boy, has he turned it around. Against LAFC, it was his defensive pressure that set the tone for the entire game. In the 7th minute he announced in a 1-v-1 against Bouanga that he wasn’t to be trifled with, winning possession and moving the ball forward for Seattle. Alex repeated this in the 21st and 36th minutes, erasing any memory of prior matches where he struggled on the width. Although he prioritized his defensive positioning, Roldan sprinkled in smart forward movement, and had a brilliant 67th minute cross to Morris for a diving header that nearly gave Sounders the lead. This was a tactical setup that Alex fully understood, showing continual positioning tweaks that were perfect to combine defensively with the teammates around him. He faded some after 106 minutes of sprinting and was subbed late in a clear choice to remove his tired legs (and his shot at another perfect penalty kick) as Seattle went for it.
Why we are gonna win it all: When they’re playing like this, there isn’t a winger in the league who wants to go up against Rolmar on the right.
Defensive Midfield
Cristian Roldan – 8 | Community – 8.0
Cristian Roldan was not losing this match. His effort is always big, and in this one it was huge. He was simply everywhere, connecting the compact defense to the offensive runs, and did so with passes, dribbles, and near-perfect positioning. He clearly understood how important the middle was, and he threw his body around early to prevent any counter attacks through the center. Uncharacteristic slide tackles and lunging defense showed a desire to prevent runs centrally, at any cost. When he lost the ball in the 15th minute, he went beast mode to immediately retrieve it. He took a foul in the 23rd to stop a counter. This was essential to denying LAFC their desired tactical buildout and was a primary reason they had no first half success. Roldan kept going in the second half, constantly covering everywhere, especially as LAFC had pockets of success in the attack. Cristian’s range, effort and relentless defense made the difference, and he led Seattle with two key passes. His vital touch on a set piece recycle kept Seattle attacking, and seconds later Morris was doing his THANG.
Why we are gonna win it all: This team will go as far as Cristian Roldan will take them, and he’s found a different gear in the last few months, going supernova at exactly the right time.
Obed Vargas – 8 | Community – 8.0
Obed started out slowly, with a weak pass in the 5th minute and a bad touch three minutes later, and it looked like it might be a long night. He missed a simple connection in the middle and got in the box right before halftime but was lost, plus other errors that LAFC tends to victimize. They didn’t, and soon none of this mattered, because after halftime he was possibly the best player on the pitch. Suddenly an absolute monster in the middle, Vargas’ ability to trap anything, pivot forward in possession, and drive at the goal to connect with teammates was phenomenal. Primarily living in the half spaces on the right, it wasn’t a coincidence that his constant pressure eventually forced a big mistake in the 59th minute. He got better after this, continuing to control the middle with his effort and possession. Outside of a risky foul with just minutes to go, Obed was excellent.
Why we are gonna win it all: Obed Vargas has made massive strides this season. He put together one of his best halves all year against LAFC and then topped that with another 30 minutes of excellent overtime work.
Attacking Midfield
Albert Rusnák – 6 | Community – 6.6 (off 106’ for Ruidíaz)
Rusnák had a tough go in the middle, as Seattle prioritized coherent defensive shape and included large numbers to hold this. That meant Albert was often on the attack by himself, or central with a triple-covered Morris as his only option. He did well to take advantage of his few options, including a perfect 34th minute ball that unfortunately bounced up on Morris that was one of his 10 passes into the final third. As Seattle ceded possession with their tactics, the opportunities for Rusnák to impact the match were limited. Compounding this were some bewilderingly poor choices from set pieces; after Jon Bell nearly scored in the first half, Albert went wastefully short on his 61st minute corner and wasn’t able to use his excellent dead ball service to impact the match despite some quality opportunities. He put in a ton of control and defensive work, but was just a role player against LAFC.
Why we are gonna win it all: The “just a role player” had 10 goals and 16 assists this year and will face wide open defenses in the next two games with plenty of space to cook.
Pedro de la Vega – 6 | Community – 6.2 (off 72’ for Minoungou)
Pedro started as a nominal forward against LAFC and had a number of interesting connections with teammates, the best being a 22nd minute forward pass to Morris. He had a key pass and a handful of necessary recoveries due to his willingness to track back and help. The actual defensive presence wasn’t great, as he lost all his duels, but PDLV’s creative movement helped give Seattle the better chances in the first half. He also completed 100 percent of his passes, which was massive against a team that wanted nothing more than to turn the ball over and counter attack.
Why we are gonna win it all: Our most expensive player doesn’t have to be our best player, and he’s fitting into the team a little more every match.
Forward
Jordan Morris – 8 | Community – 8.1
In a game where the focus is on total team defense, you knew the forward wasn’t going to be seeing a lot of possession. Jordan worked incredibly hard to be relevant for 120 minutes, and he did it via 38 touches. On nearly every one he was blanketed by multiple defenders, beaten and battered while fighting to hold up the ball in traffic or get by center backs. Not known for his resurgent fitness, it was Morris who grew into the match, creating at the end of the first half, nearly scoring a diving header in the 67th minute, and showcasing a fantastic backheel flick-on when winning a long ball over two defenders. He had another important flick in the 90th minute, and outside of a random hand ball after a great Rusnák pass, Morris did his job, which included defending all the way to his own endline in the 97th minute to ensure extra time. This job included making the biggest offensive play of the match, the kind of striker’s goal Jordan is increasingly showcasing. With just an inch of space, he turned to goal and thrashed home the game-winner in the 109th minute, a perfect single-touch movement where his hips knew where the goal was without needing his eyes.
Why we are gonna win it all: Jordan freaking Morris only needs one tiny opening to score, whether that’s a gap to race into past the defense, or a slot in the box to find a game-winning goal in traffic.
Substitutes
Nathan – 6 | Community – 6.7 (on 66’ for Yeimar)
With Yeimar picking up a frustrating injury halfway through period two, Brian Schmetzer looked to Nathan. Nathan, who hadn’t really played all year, stepped in and was fantastic. He was clearly comfortable with the tactics, had six vital clearances, completed 91 percent of his passes, and was about as good of a Yeimar replacement as you can ask for. To come in, ice cold from the bench, to succeed against Bouanga on the road in the playoffs: that is the kind of thing this coach, staff, and administration rarely get credit for, and something they (and Nathan) should be absolutely thrilled with.
Why we are gonna win it all: When forgotten guys like Nathan, who hadn’t played even a full game’s worth of minutes this year, can step in and give you 55 minutes of shutout soccer while seamlessly fitting in with a heroic defensive effort, “next man up” is a real thing, and Seattle has it.
Georgi Minoungou – 6 | Community – 6.6 (on 72’ for PDLV)
Minoungou entered late in the first half and brought some wide attacking and direct play that helped release Morris into more space. He was excellent at supporting the scattered attack, dropping two key passes and adding a near-post shot that forced a save, which earned the game-winning corner kick. Oh, and during that corner kick? It was Georgi who beat three opponents to the ball to earn a vital flick to Morris, who scored.
Why we are gonna win it all: There isn’t a better 1-v-1 player in the league and Georgi is cookin’. Having a bench change of pace so drastic gives tactical flexibility and lets Seattle adjust game state at will.
Josh Atencio – 5 | Community – 6.2 (on 96’ for RBW)
Atencio entered in extra time as Reed came up with an injury. Dropped into the middle of the field, Josh turned 17 touches into a key pass and won two important tackles. His range and coverage eliminated space centrally and were especially valuable after Alex subbed out and the formation was again juggled. His vital 108th minute intervention not only prevented a potential counter attack, but his perfect pass found Georgi and jump-started the game-winning sequence.
Why we are gonna win it all: Josh Atencio was a bonafide starter at this time last season and while others are playing more, he is constantly ready to enter, play well, and support the team as needed.
Raúl Ruidíaz – 5 | Community – 5.7 (on 106’ for Rusnák)
Raúl joined the game late and the team scored three minutes later. That may be coincidence, or it may be that a team with belief went for it late and overloaded the opponent with attacking options. Raúl was always floating in between the centerbacks, creating nervous moments where they had to find him, giving Georgi and Jordan space in the outside channels. He only had seven touches, but Raúl still managed two shots.
Why we are gonna win it all: Because Raúl deserves to go out on top.
João Paulo – 5 | Community – 6.4 (on 106’ for A. Roldan)
JP and Raúl came on as one of the more lethal 2021 combos you could imagine. In 2024, they were the veteran leadership brought in to control the match and switch the LAFC momentum back in Seattle’s favor. A lot of that was through JP, who dropped into the middle, found 13 clean touches, and delivered the game-winning corner service. His three clearances were also vital defensive interventions, as he held central control and kept his team compact.
Why we are gonna win it all: Because JP deserves to go out on top.
LAFC MOTM
Goalscorer Ryan Hollingshead led LAFC with three shots on target from the left wingback position, of course. His first was the goal, scored in classic LAFC fashion, as Hollingshead flowed with a counter from his wide starting position to the penalty spot to dispatch a low cross. His second effort came from a flicked corner in the 95th, and his header from point-blank range was repelled by Frei. And his third, in the 120th, forced Frei to fling himself against his near post for one final save.
Referee
Guido Gonzales Jr. – 7 | Community – 7.0
There was a lot of opportunity for referee involvement in this match, with the high pressure playoff intensity at times boiling over. He called 28 fouls, evenly distributed, as were the four cards handed out. Those cards made sense, outside of a timewasting yellow while a team was subbing. This referee ignored some of the more egregious flopping histrionics from Diva FC; it was nice to see Ryan Hollingshead and Bouanga dives go unrewarded. He did miss a few calls, including Cristian Roldan in the 76th earning a phantom foul on a clean play. On the opposite side, Georgi continually gets fouled without calls for some reason, adding a 103rd minute mugging to the list of ignored assaults on him.
Why we are gonna win it all: This game wasn’t about the ref, and Seattle will win every remaining match that follows a similar script.
Upcoming: Adios LA, hola LA!
