On November 26, 2023, the Seattle Sounders FC played in the Major League Soccer (MLS)  quarterfinal playoff match against Los Angeles FC (LAFC). The

Sounders and LAFC were two of the most successful teams in the league, each winning the MLS Cup once in the past 5 years. The Stage was set at Lumen Field in Seattle, on a cold wintery night, with 33,649 fans in attendance. The game kicked off at 7:00, and the quarterfinal match began. 

The Sounders were electric from the whistle, moving the ball with speed and precision. In the fourth minute of play, Sounders midfielder Christian Roldan played an inch-perfect pass to forward Jordan Morris who had a 1v1 chance against the LAFC goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau. Morris took a shot but what was saved by the goalkeeper, and passed up one of the biggest chances for the Sounders all night. 

After a half hour of continuous pressure from the Sounders, it was LAFC who broke the deadlock in the 30th minute through a counter-attack led by star forward Dénis Bouanga. 

After the goal, the Sounders continually pressed, but could not break through LAFC’s rock-solid defense, and the half ended 1-0 in favor of LAFC. Coming out of halftime, Seattle stepped up the pressure and continually pressed LAFC but could not find the final shot to level the game. The Sounders team became frustrated as they kept being called for fouls and yellow cards, but kept pressing the LAFC team. 

In the 88th minute, the Sounders thought they had the tying goal through midfielder Albert Rusnak, but the goal was overturned due to a handball earlier in the passing sequence. 

Seattle desperately pressed but could not break through the LAFC defense and they lost the game 1-0. 

In a post-match interview, Sounders Head Coach Brian Schmetzer gave his remarks on the game. 

“Losing like this certainly hurts,” Schmetzer said. “The opportunity was there.” 

In a post-match interview, Sounders midfielder Albert Rusnak gave his remarks on the game.

“We were missing today that final piece, that final touch or pass, it was not as sharp as previous games,” Rusnak said.