(East Los Angeles, CA) May 18, 2021 [From The Editor’s Desk]: The road is always the toughest place to play, let alone win. That’s always been the age-old saying when it comes to balances of power. It can either tip in your good favor or not. Full Stop!! That’s basically what happened when the LAFC Back & Gold traveled to the naturally spacious, beautiful, and great Northwest sector of our country, as in the Emerald City of Seattle, WA, to take on the undefeated, and first place, Seattle Sounders FC.
And thus the stage was set for the second match-up of these two squads while still in a very young 2021 MLS season. The result was not very pleasing to Coach Bob Bradley and his “Best” full squad assembled since the season’s opening match against Austin FC. This obviously refers to having, El Capitan, the Captain, Carlos Vela with the team and ready to play when called upon. That was the scenario facing the team and its always faithful fan base who were following the match on TV, Live Streaming outlets/devices, and local Los Angeles radio.
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(Match Summary): The first half was played evenly with no dominant force surfacing onto the pitch for either squad. In their most concerted attack mode, LAFC were turned away on all of their shots on goal. Their highlight of the half came when forward, Corey Baird, looked to be on-target for an inside 18 shot, but couldn’t apply any angle or strong leverage to finish it accurately.
After the mandatory half-time rest and re-gathering period, the Sounders absorbed the fan-base’s synergy and adrenaline flow. Then, with just twelve minutes having been played in the second period, Seattle took the lead in the 57th minute on a goal by defender, Xavier Arreaga, off a corner kick. Fellow teammate and defender, Brad Smith, then put the Sounders up (2-0) with a critical insurance goal, in the 73rd minute, smashing in a close-in “header” off a counter-attack. This was reminiscent of his match-tying goal when the Sounders played LAFC here to a (1-1) draw in match #2. That would end the match’s scoring with the final score, Seattle 2 LAFC 0.
Because their search for solid and durable chemistry is still ongoing, the LAFC spark could not be lighted as we’ve grown accustomed to, and due to that, the Black & Gold outright lost its second match in a row on Sunday, during a cold Seattle Sunday evening. The Western Conference leading Sounders, now (5-0-1/16 Pts) did spoil the return of franchise player, Carlos Vela, the 2019 MLS MVP, who entered as a substitute in the 70th minute after missing the previous three games with a quad injury. By then it was too little too late. But nonetheless, the message was sent to the rest of the MLS Western Conference opponents, that Vela is Back!!
To view highlights of the match, click here.
(Next Up): LAFC (1-2-2/5 Pts), currently in last place, returns to Banc of California Stadium on Saturday, May 22nd as they get set to host the Colorado Rapids (3-1-1/5 Pts), currently in 4th place, at 7:30 p.m. Media coverage can be found on (MLS LIVE on ESPN+), Estrella TV, on LIVE Streaming outlets, and on local Radio stations, 1110 AM ESPN and 980 AM KFWB/”La Mera Mera.”
