Sports stats



MLS Seattle Sounders FC

Sounders FC Draws 1-1 at Home with LAFC

June 18, 2022 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Seattle Sounders FC News Release


Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Albert Rusnák vs. LAFC
Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Albert Rusnák vs. LAFC
(Seattle Sounders FC)

SEATTLE, WASH. - Sounders FC (6-6-2, 20 points) drew 1-1 with Los Angeles FC (9-3-3, 30 points) on Saturday afternoon at Lumen Field. Albert Rusnák scored the lone goal for Seattle, who has lost just once in its last six games (4-1-1). Brian Schmetzer's side continues its five-match homestand next Saturday, June 25 against Sporting Kansas City at Lumen Field (12:00 p.m. PT / ABC, ESPN Deportes, 93.3 KJR FM, El Rey 1360 AM).

Rusnák broke the scoreless deadlock in the 58th minute with his first MLS goal and second across all competitions for Sounders FC since signing this offseason. With Seattle's high press causing problems for LAFC's defense, Rusnák intercepted a ball in the final third and charged forward before slamming a shot past goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau. This marked Rusnák's first match since returning from international duty with Slovakia, which included a fixture in Kazakhstan on Monday.

Sounders FC goalkeeper Stefan Frei kept the game level in the 64th minute with a double-save on point-blank attempts from Ryan Hollingshead and Cristian Arango. Frei finished the match with six saves, passing the 750-save mark in his career with Seattle (MLS regular season only).

The visitors found the equalizer in the 79th minute courtesy of Arango, who combined with José Cifuentes for a lofted header past Frei for his fourth goal of the season. In 13 total meetings between the two sides since LAFC joined MLS in 2018 (including postseason), the series stands even at 5-5-3.

The Rave Green continue their five-match homestand next Saturday, June 25 with another nationally televised fixture against Western Conference rival Sporting Kansas City (12:00 p.m. PT / ABC, ESPN Deportes, 93.3 KJR FM, El Rey 1360 AM).

MATCH NOTES

Sounders FC is now 6-6-2 on the season and ranks seventh in the Western Conference with 20 points. The club is averaging 1.43 points per game and is above the playoff line, leading eighth-place Houston by two points.

Dating back to the club's May 15 win versus Minnesota United, Seattle is now unbeaten in five of its past six matches, compiling four wins and a draw in that span.

Today's match marked the third-consecutive home contest of a five-game stretch at Lumen Field for Sounders FC. The club won its first two matches of the homestand against Charlotte (May 29) and Vancouver (June 14), with home matches at Lumen Field next Sunday against Sporting Kansas City (June 25) and the following Wednesday against CF Montréal (June 29).

Seattle midfielder Albert Rusnák scored his first MLS goal for the Rave Green in the 58th minute of play. Rusnák started and played 90 minutes today after returning from international duty with Slovakia, who played a road match in Kazakhstan on Monday, June 13 and Azerbaijan on Friday, June 10.

Rusnák now has two total goals for Seattle, having also scored the club's opening goal on April 6 vs. New York City FC in Concacaf Champions League play, a 3-1 win for Sounders FC. The Designated Player signed with Seattle this offseason after five years at Real Salt Lake, where he tallied 41 goals and 39 assists in MLS.

In addition to Rusnák returning from international duty, teammates Jordan Morris and Cristian Roldan returned to the starting lineup from their time with the United States Men's National Team, who earned a 1-1 draw in El Salvador on Tuesday (with Morris scoring the lone U.S. goal). Defender Nouhou also rejoined the starting group today after helping Cameroon to a 1-0 win over Burundi on June 9.

This marked goalkeeper Stefan Frei's 299th career appearance for Sounders FC across all competitions since joining the club prior to the 2014 season. With his next appearance, he will become the second Sounders FC player in the MLS era to play in 300 matches across all competitions (Osvaldo Alonso). Zach Scott is the only other player in Sounders history dating back to 1974 to appear in 300 matches for the club.

Sounders FC moves to 3-5-3 all-time in regular season play against LAFC. Seattle is 2-0-0 against LA in postseason action, most notably earning a 3-1 win in the 2019 Western Conference Final at Banc of California Stadium before capturing the 2019 MLS Cup title. Brian Schmetzer's side eliminated LAFC the following year in the postseason with a 3-1 win in the First Round.

At home in 2022 Seattle is now 4-2-1 in MLS play and 8-2-2 in all competitions this season (MLS regular season, Concacaf Champions League and U.S. Open Cup).

MATCH SUMMARY

Seattle Sounders FC 1 - Los Angeles FC 1

Saturday, June 18, 2022

Venue: Lumen Field Stadium

Referee: Allen Chapman

Assistants: Logan Brown, Andrew Bigelow

Fourth Official: Greg Dopka

VAR: Kevin Stott

Attendance: 34,642

Weather: 58 degrees and cloudy

SCORING SUMMARY

SEA - Albert Rusnák 58'

LAFC - Cristian Arango (José Cifuentes) 79'

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

LAFC - José Cifuentes (caution) 16'

VAN - Nico Lodeiro (caution) 77'

LINEUPS & STATS

Seattle Sounders FC - Stefan Frei, Alex Roldan, Jackson Ragen, Xavier Arreaga (Kelyn Rowe 74'), Nouhou, Albert Rusnák, Obed Vargas (Jimmy Medranda 74'), Cristian Roldan, Nico Lodeiro, Jordan Morris (Léo Chú 88'), Fredy Montero (Will Bruin 67')

Substitutes not used: Stefan Cleveland, Abdoulaye Cissoko, Dylan Teves

Total shots: 13

Shots on goal: 5

Fouls: 9

Offside: 1

Corner-kicks: 5

Saves: 6

Los Angeles FC - Maxime Crépeau, Jesús David Murillo, Ryan Hollingshead (Franco Escobar 65'), Sebastien Ibeagha, Diego Palacios, Latif Blessing (Kellyn Acosta 65'), Ilie Sánchez, José Cifuentes (Francisco Ginella 80'), Kwadwo Opoku (Carlos Vela 46'), Cristian Arango, Daniel Musovski

Substitutes not used: Cal Jennings, Doneil Henry, Danny Trejo, Mamadou Fall, John McCarthy

Total shots: 11

Shots on goal: 7

Fouls: 16

Offside: 2

Corner-kicks: 3

Saves: 4

Check out the Seattle Sounders FC Statistics




Images from this story

Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Albert Rusnák vs. LAFC
Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Albert Rusnák vs. LAFC
   



Major League Soccer Stories from June 18, 2022


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central