Albert Rusnak and Sebastian Gomez scored first-half goals and the Seattle Sounders clinched a Western Conference playoff spot with a 2-1 victory over visiting Los Angeles FC on Saturday.
Seattle was in 10th place in the West entering the Decision Day slate of games before ending a five-match winless stretch (0-3-2) and landing in the No. 8 spot. The Sounders were aided in the climb with losses by the LA Galaxy and Colorado.
The Sounders (12-12-10, 46 points) will host No. 9 Real Salt Lake in the one-match, wild-card round of the playoffs.
Eddie Segura scored in the 82nd minute for Los Angeles FC (12-11-11-47 points), who are 1-4-4 over their last nine matches. LAFC are the No. 6 seed in the West and will play No. 3 St. Louis City in the first round.
LAFC outshot the Sounders 24-5 and placed eight on target to Seattle’s three.
Andrew Thomas made seven saves for the Sounders while LAFC’s Cabral Carter had just one stop.
Seattle started fast with Rusnak scoring in the opening minute.
LAFC gave up the ball deep in their own end and Cristian Roldan fed Rusnak, who knocked a short right-footed shot into the net.
The Sounders took a 2-0 lead in the 31st minute as Rusnak tapped the ball to Gomez, who kicked a left-footed shot that caromed off the leg of Segura, changing directions and sailing past a stunned Carter.
LAFC finally got on the board in the 82nd minute off a free kick. Ryan Porteous was stationed toward the right side of the net and was able to get his head on the kick and sent it back toward the center of the net to Segura, who easily placed a header into the center of the net.
LAFC attempted to get on the board early in the second half but Son Heung-Min sent a header wide left of the net in the 51st minute and Thomas stopped Denis Bouanga’s close left-footed shot three minutes later.
In the 67th minute, Bouanga created some space but didn’t have a good angle and Thomas easily stopped his short-range right-footer.
–Field Level Media
