There was a lot of history on the line in Sunday’s MLS Western Conference semifinal at Lumen Field.
For the Seattle Sounders, who hadn’t lost a playoff game at home in a decade, another win would be their 20th straight in the postseason, breaking the league record. For LAFC, the reigning MLS champion, a victory would keep alive its hope of becoming the first MLS team to win consecutive titles in 11 seasons.
But at the end of the night, the streak that mattered most belonged to Denis Bouanga, whose goal in the 30th minute gave him a score in eight straight games and proved the difference in LAFC’s 1-0 victory, one that sent the team on to the conference final with the Houston Dynamo on Saturday at BMO Stadium.
The win was LAFC’s first in Seattle since the franchise’s inaugural game in 2018, another one-goal win built around a first-half goal and a stellar performance in goal.
“It felt a lot like 2018,” general manager John Thorrington said. “We score early, we absorb a lot of their pressure and our goalkeeper played superbly.”
Read more: LAFC confident late-season slump won’t derail its MLS title aspirations
LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo said that wasn’t exactly how he drew it up.
“I’m not sure if it was the plan for the entire 90 minutes,” he said. “But once you do get a lead, that’s what it kind of can turn into. We got the goal, got a lead. And you’re always going to have to absorb pressure here in Seattle against an excellent team.
“Not sure many teams have won here in the playoffs.”
They haven’t. But then this game was different with Seattle’s often-brutal late-fall weather — one of the team’s biggest home-field advantages — not a factor. The game kicked off in 41-degree temperatures under clear skies and the Sounders were even hotter at the start, forcing LAFC goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau into two splendid saves in the opening four minutes.
The first was a sprawling stop of Joshua Atencio’s left-footed shot from just outside the box in the third minute, then seconds later he stuck up a hand to bat away a right-footed chip from Jordan Morris, who was alone inside the LAFC penalty area with defender Giorgio Chiellini in pursuit.
That proved to be an early turning point.
“And soon as Max got a hand on that, I was like, ‘It’s over. We just won this game,’ ” defender Ryan Hollingshead said. “There’s just moments like that in a game where it’s hard to come back from and they really didn’t have another good solid chance…