LAFC’s dreams of a third consecutive MLS Cup trip 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 22,301 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.
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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 Rusnak, the team’s two leading scorers, to return from injury.
Morris came out of Seattle’s playoff opener last month after 52 minutes because of 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 because of 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…