Coming into the game against the Seattle Sounders, LAFC suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the Vancouver Whitecaps midweek. It was a close game, with only one goal being scored throughout the entire contest, but the goal was in favor of Vancouver, ending LAFC’s unbeaten streak for the season.
With the loss undoubtedly still lingering in the minds of the players and one of the toughest opponents in the league in Seattle standing at the doorstep, LAFC needed to regroup and bounce back.
It did not take long for LAFC to find their groove and they pounced early on. In the 12th minute, LAFC midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye found Carlos Vela running into the box with a dissecting pass. Vela shot the ball with the outside of his stronger left foot and hit an unstoppable laser that punched the back of the net to put LAFC up 1-0.
LAFC also nabbed the second goal of the game, with a brilliant Eduard Atuesta solo effort in the box. Atuesta, after receiving the ball from Mark-Anthony Kaye, evaded a handful of Sounders defenders before executing a tasteful finish of his own past the Sounders keeper to double LAFC’s lead at 2-0.
Six minutes into the second half in the 51st minute, Seattle struck with their first and only goal of the match, halving LAFC’s lead.
Just three minutes later however, LAFC’s two goal lead was restored when a perfect pass from Atuesta to Vela allowed the LAFC talisman to slice through the defense and run circles around the Sounders keeper to put the Black and Gold up 3-1.
LAFC continued their offensive showcase with their final goal of the game, coming from yet another Mark-Anthony Kaye assist. LAFC forward Christian Ramirez played a cheeky backheel one-two pass sequence with Kaye at the top of the Sounders box, Ramirez deceptively received the ball back from Kaye, dumbfounding the Sounders defense and nestling the ball past Sounders keeper Stefan Frei with a side foot finish to give them the 4-1 lead.
Prior to the match, very little separated the two clubs, with LAFC sitting atop the Western Conference and Seattle in second, but it proved to be a dominant display from the boys in Black and Gold and much needed after suffering the streak-breaking loss midweek.
LAFC still sit atop of the West, but with the LA Galaxy beating Houston on Friday, LAFC’s crosstown rivals moved directly underneath to the second seed making every move LAFC make going forward, carry the utmost salience.
