LAFC dominates Seattle for pivotal late-season win

LOS ANGELES — Doing everything it can to reach the MLS Cup Playoffs, the Los Angeles Football Club is unbeaten in five straight matches following a dominant 3-0 victory over the Western Conference-leading Seattle Sounders on Tuesday night.

With the rest of the league playing Wednesday, LAFC and Seattle stepped on the field at Banc of California Stadium with all eyes on them battling for a critical three points in the 32nd match of the year for both clubs.

LAFC snatched the lead in the 21st minute when a beautiful pass into space by Raheem Edwards found Brian Rodriguez streaking behind the Seattle defense. The 21-year-old Uruguayan forward toed his shot underneath Seattle goalkeeper Sefan Frei.

Before taking the lead, LAFC (12-12-8, 44 points) had been content to sit patiently and wait for Seattle (17-8-7, 58 points) to run at them to create space. Afterward, Coach Bob Bradley’s side pushed the initiative with its counter-press and clamped down inside the visitors’ half of the field.

“In moments when we are not pressing we are compact, so we’re difficult to break down,” Bradley said. “We made it hard on the other team, which is important in big games.

“The team played with great intensity, the first half especially in terms of collective movement and really closing things down.”

Starting a 3-5-2 formation, Bradley credited the midfield trio featuring Edwards, Latif Blessing and Diego Palacios while Eduard Atuesta remained out with a shoulder injury and Jose Cifuentes was suspended due to yellow card accumulation.

“Their intensity really set the tone for the rest of the team,” Bradley said.

LAFC nearly picked up a second goal in the 38th minute, when Rodriguez synced up with red-hot forward Cristian “Chicho” Arango and Latif Blessing for a weaving sequence that forced a goal line save by defender Nouhou Tolo as Rodriguez stood unmarked at the far post.

All season long LAFC had conceded goals at inopportune moments, but just before halftime Blessing sent the hosts into the locker room in full control of the match.

A turnover near the midfield line allowed Edwards room to advance the ball, which he did to Kim Moon-Hwan on the right flank as Blessing slipped unseen to the near post.

The South Korean defender, who received five stitches following a hard collision with the referee in the club’s last match at Minnesota, dropped a chipped pass a step inside the 6-yard box that teed up Blessing’s simple half-volley.

“I am happy but not too happy,” Blessing said. “We have two games to go.”

For the first time in a long time, the pressure valve inside LAFC’s home stadium was released.

Seattle – now winless in its last four matches – threw a couple of haymakers at the start of the second half. A Nouhou header banged off the crossbar, and a minute later LAFC goalkeeper Jamal Blackman dove to his left to save a headed shot by Fredy Montero that preserved the club’s first shutout (and the first of his MLS career) since a 4-0 rout of Sporting Kansas City in early September.

Seattle’s push for a club-record 10th road win this season and its 200th victory since entering MLS in 2009 soon subsided, and Arango ended any doubt about the outcome in the 51st minute.

Connecting for his 13th goal in 15 appearances since joining LAFC in August, the Colombian forward hammered a dipping shot from well outside the box that beat Frei.

“I decided to take a shot because in the first half I didn’t have an opportunity,” Arango said. “Thankfully it went in. As a forward I must have shots otherwise I’m not doing my job.”

The rest of the match felt like a celebration for LAFC supporters.

Blackman, the 6-foot-7 English goalkeeper who took over for Tomas Romero six games ago, made several elegant saves when he was called upon in front of the 3252 supporters in the North End, who, along with nearly everyone else in the building, went wild when Carlos Vela returned to action for the first time since Aug. 21.

The 32-year-old Mexican forward immediately donned the captain’s arm band, and played a solid 15 minutes following an arduous recovery from a strained right hamstring and a quadriceps injury, both of which have limited the 2019 MLS MVP to just nine full matches all year.

“We were all so excited to get Carlos back on the field,” Bradley said. “You could hear it in the stadium. He’s such a special player. He’s such an important part of what’s gone on here since the beginning.

“Tonight was just to get him back and was also a way of really thanking our fans and letting them know that Carlos is working hard and wants to be on the field. We’ll see between now and Tuesday how much progress he can make.”

Arango echoed that sentiment.

“Seeing Carlos return is a happy feeling for us,” Arango said. “He’s a great leader. The supporters love him, and we do too. Hopefully, we can have him around for much more time and get rid of those injuries.”

The victory, which capped an 11-day stretch that saw LAFC add 10 of a possible 12 points to its total, pushed the team into seventh place in the conference, and, pending results from Wednesday’s slate of games, potentially in position to control its own destiny for a postseason berth.

Vancouver, which is tied with LAFC but behind on two tiebreakers, hosts Minnesota United FC before its Nov. 2 match at LAFC.

NOTES

Both teams were missing key players from past rivalry matchups due to injuries. Seattle played without Raul Ruidiaz (knee injury) and Joao Paulo (yellow card accumulation), while LAFC was without midfielders Eduard Atuesta (right shoulder injury), Jose Cifuentes (yellow card accumulation) and Francisco Ginella (injured). … “Ted Lasso” actors Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt and Brett Goldstein attended the match in LAFC gear. Hunt, who plays Coach Beard, is an LAFC supporter and ticket holder.

Lightning strikes first at the Banc! #LAFCvSEA 1-0 pic.twitter.com/Ay62tOmHNJ

— LAFC (@LAFC) October 27, 2021

BLESSING THE NORTH END. #LAFCvSEA 2-0 pic.twitter.com/UUrye9tX0m

— LAFC (@LAFC) October 27, 2021

JAMAL. BLACKMAN. #LAFCvSEA 2-0 pic.twitter.com/if1YYv61YM

— LAFC (@LAFC) October 27, 2021

¡UN ARANGOLAZO! #LAFCvSEA 3-0 pic.twitter.com/aGyXa01jrn

— LAFC (@LAFC) October 27, 2021

"We have to keep going."

@latif_blessing #LAFC pic.twitter.com/k2V9FQDko7

— LAFC (@LAFC) October 27, 2021

"The team played with great intensity."

Bob Bradley #LAFC pic.twitter.com/viKlgyZi6t

— LAFC (@LAFC) October 27, 2021