Jordan Morris, Stefan Frei lead Sounders to Western Conference final with 2-1 OT victory over LAFC
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jordan Morris scored in the 109th minute and Stefan Frei made nine saves to lead Seattle to a stunning 2-1 overtime victory over top-seeded Los Angeles FC on Saturday night in a Western Conference semifinal at BMO Stadium, earning the fourth-seeded Sounders a trip to the conference final.
Seattle advances to play the winner of Sunday’s semifinal matchup between the second-seeded Los Angeles Galaxy and No. 6 seed Minnesota United after ending a 10-match winless streak in all competitions (0-8-2) against LAFC.
Defender Ryan Hollingshead gave LAFC the lead five minutes into the second half when he used assists from Mateusz Bogusz and Eduard Atuesta to score after a giveaway by Seattle defender Jackson Ragen.
It was the first goal this postseason for Hollingshead and his fifth in 23 playoff appearances. Bogusz snagged his third assist in nine postseason appearances over the past two seasons. Atuesta’s helper was his first in seven playoff appearances.
The Sounders pulled even in the 59th minute thanks to an own goal by LAFC defender Maxime Chanot.
Seattle lost defender Yéimar Gomez Andrade to an injury in the 66th minute and Nathan Raphael Pelae Cardoso replaced him.
Morris found the net unassisted to put the Sounders on top. It was his ninth career goal in 23 postseason appearances. He scored a career-high 13 goals during the regular season.
All of Frei’s saves came in the second half and overtime in his 35th postseason start for the Sounders. He allowed 33 goals through his first 34 starts with 15 shutouts. Seattle allowed a league-low 35 goals during the regular season.
Hugo Lloris stopped four shots — three after halftime — for LAFC in his first season in the league. Lloris allowed four goals through his first three postseason starts with a clean sheet.
Seattle had lost all four previous matchups with LAFC this season and scored just one goal. The Sounders lost 2-1 in LA and 3-0 at home during the regular season. They dropped a 3-0 decision at home in a Leagues Cup quarterfinal and fell 1-0 at home in a U.S. Open Cup semifinal in the most recent meeting.
LAFC entered as the highest remaining seed and would not have had to leave home to claim its second MLS Cup since joining the league in 2018. The club beat the Philadelphia Union 3-0 on penalty kicks in 2022 after a 3-3 draw in regulation. LAFC advanced to the final last season but lost 2-1 to the Columbus Crew.
The Sounders, who joined the league in 2009, won Cups in 2016 and 2019. Their only previous victory at BMO came in 2019 when they beat LAFC — that season’s winners of the Supporters’ Shield — 3-1 in the conference final.
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