Seattle Sounders secured their MLS postseason place by beating LAFC 2–1 at Lumen Field on Saturday, 7 November. The league’s report from Seattle confirms that the victory, combined with results elsewhere in the Western Conference, delivered eighth place and the right to host the Wild Card match.
Albert Rusnák and Sebastian Gomez scored Seattle’s two first-half goals before the home side protected their narrow advantage. Victory was essential after the Sounders entered the final round outside the qualifying positions, making the early attacking response central to keeping their season alive.
The performance followed a 5–1 defeat at Vancouver the previous weekend. According to the same report, Seattle’s players held an accountability meeting after that setback. Coach Brian Schmetzer linked the improved display to the standards they had set themselves. That explanation is the coach’s assessment, reported by MLS, alongside the confirmed result.
Seattle finished the regular season with 46 points from 12 victories, ten draws and 12 defeats. Those figures show the inconsistency that preceded qualification: the last-day win did not turn the campaign into an uninterrupted success, but it earned another opportunity in a different competitive format.
Real Salt Lake will visit Lumen Field on 19 November for a single-elimination Wild Card encounter. The winner advances to a Best-of-3 Series against Vancouver. That route could give Seattle another meeting with the opponent responsible for their heavy defeat, although they must first beat Salt Lake to reach it.
Archival cover photograph: Albert Rusnák with Seattle against New York City in October 2025; not from the current event. Photographer/creator: Bryan Berlin. Image source and metadata; CC BY-SA 4.0. Image date as recorded by the source: 2025-10-18 19:39:22. Wikimedia-supplied file used without raster edits.
