Seattle Sounders FC 3, LAFC 0 | 2020 MLS Match Recap

Nicolas Lodeiro converted two penalty kicks in the first half and Raul Ruidiaz added a late third goal to give the Seattle Sounders a straightforward 3-0 win over LAFC on Friday night.

The Sounders came out swinging in the first half, forcing LAFC goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega to make a couple of big saves early. But Sisniega was unable to stop Lodiero when Seattle's No. 10 stepped up to the spot for two penalty kicks — one awarded for a handball from Dejan Jakovic and the other on a foul from Latif Blessing.

Lodeiro found the back of the net both times to keep his MLS penalty kick record perfect and get his third and fourth goals of the 2020 MLS season.

At halftime, Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer promised to “unleash” Jordan Morris, but after a big game against the San Jose Earthquakes eight days ago, the forward had a quiet night at CenturyLink Field with only one shot on goal.

Team-leading goalscorer Ruidiaz was also having a fairly quiet night until the 82nd minute when he took advantage of an opportunity in the box to bury his seventh goal of the season and secure the 3-0 win.

Goals

• 29' - SEA - Nicolas Lodeiro (PK) | WATCH
• 33' - SEA - Nicolas Lodeiro (PK) | WATCH
• 82' - SEA - Raul Ruidiaz | WATCH

Three Things

• THE BIG PICTURE: Three points tonight put Seattle in the top spot in the Western Conference standings, while LAFC continue to struggle with finding consistency (and wins) since the restart.
• MOMENT OF THE MATCH: The game was fairly back-and-forth in the beginning, but a needless handball in the box from LAFC’s Dejan Jakovic gave Seattle an opportunity to get on the board first.
• MAN OF THE MATCH: Nicolas Lodeiro stands out as Man of the Match, not just because he scored a brace tonight, but because of extending his impressive record of converting penalty kicks.

Next Up

• SEA: Wednesday, September 23 at Portland Timbers (10 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US; MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada)
• LAFC: Wednesday, September 23 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (10:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US; TSN 1/4 in Canada)