LAFC’s MLS Cup hopes shattered in stunning loss to Seattle

LAFC’s dreams of an MLS Cup three-peat ended in cruel fashion Saturday, with Jordan Morris scoring four minutes into a second overtime period to give the Seattle Sounders a 2-1 Western Conference semifinal win before a sold-out crowd of more than 22,000 on a chilly autumn night at BMO Stadium.

LAFC, which appeared in the last two MLS championship games, was bidding to become the first team in 17 years to play for the title in three consecutive seasons. But those hopes were undone by a scrappy Seattle side that was outplayed but never quit, riding a stellar nine-save night from goalkeeper Stefan Frei to its first win over LAFC in 11 meetings.

The Sounders, whose only other win in Los Angeles came in the 2019 Western Conference semifinals, got their other first score from LAFC defender Maxime Chanot on an own goal midway through the second half.

Ryan Hollingshead accounted for the black and gold’s lone score in the 50th minute.

Seattle will meet the winner of Sunday’s second conference semifinal between the Galaxy and Minnesota United in the Western Conference final next week.

Although LAFC was playing for the 50th time this season, Saturday’s game was its first in 15 days, a playoff pause necessitated by the FIFA international break, while Seattle had been off since Nov. 3. But while some LAFC players complained the long break robbed them of momentum and rhythm, the Sounders embraced it because it allowed Morris and Albert Rusnák, the team’s two leading scorers, to return from injury.

Morris came out of Seattle’s playoff opener last month after 52 minutes with a hamstring injury. But his return hardly made the Sounders whole. Nouhou, the team’s solid outside back, did not return from international duty with Cameroon after falling ill while midfielder Paul Rothrock was out with a quadriceps injury. They were replaced on the left side by defender Jonathan Bell and teenage midfielder Reed Baker-Whiting, who combined for two minutes of playing time in the first round of the playoffs.

LAFC was unable to exploit that inexperience during a scoreless first half in which it failed to put a shot on goal. It marked the fourth time in four games that LAFC failed to score in the opening 45 minutes.

Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei, right, catches the pass intended for LAFC forward Olivier Giroud during the first half Saturday.

(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)

The second half has been a different story, with seven of LAFC’s last nine goals coming after the intermission. Hollingshead got the last of those Saturday, waving his right arm to get Mateusz Bogusz’s attention, then running on to a neat feed in the center of the box before slotting a right-footed shot by Frei.

That was the only shot LAFC got by Frei as the shorthanded Sounders, playing in the conference semifinals for the 14th time in 16 seasons, refused to wilt. And Chanot got them back in the game nine minutes later, sticking his right foot in front of an Obed Vargas cross aimed at no one in particular and deflecting it into his own goal to even the score with a half-hour to play.

LAFC turned up the pressure up again after that, bouncing a pair of shots on goal four minutes apart, neither of which really troubled Frei. However, the Seattle keeper was called on to make a sprawling one-handed stop of an Aaron Long try in the 87th minute to keep the score tied.

LAFC didn’t let up in the overtime, putting three more tries on Frei in the first 12 minutes — and pushing another two just wide of the left post. But again the Sounders, who spent most of the night playing defense, going more than an hour without a shot on goal, bent without breaking to set up Morris’ game winner.

The deciding score came after LAFC’s Ilie Sánchez headed a corner kick to the top of the box. Seattle’s Cristian Roldan volleyed it back into the penalty area where LAFC’s Kei Kamara unsuccessfully battled a Seattle defender for the ball, which bounced toward Morris. The Seattle forward spun to his left to set up his shot, then drove a right-footed try just inside the far post, keeping the Sounders unbeaten in their last 10 games and sending them to the conference final for the first time since 2020.