LAFC edges Seattle Sounders with late goal at BMO Stadium
- Eric Liu
- May 24
- 2 min read
LOS ANGELES — LAFC closed out its final match before the World Cup break with a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders on Sunday night at BMO Stadium, using a late goal from Timothy Tillman to break open a tight Western Conference matchup.
After more than 80 minutes of scoreless play, Timothy Tillman scored in the 86th minute to give LAFC a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders. The victory snapped LAFC’s three-game losing streak and gave the club an important result before the extended break.
Seattle opened the match with early pressure. Albert Rusnák created one of the first chances of the night with a left-footed shot from outside the box in the opening minute, but the attempt went wide. The Sounders continued to find moments through Cristian Roldan, Jesús Ferreira, Paul Rothrock and Jordan Morris, but LAFC goalkeeper Thomas Hasal kept Seattle off the board.
Hasal, starting in place of injured goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, finished with five saves and recorded the clean sheet. His performance was one of the biggest reasons LAFC stayed in the match long enough to find a late winner.
LAFC created chances throughout the match but had trouble finishing until the final minutes. The breakthrough came when Tyler Boyd and Mark Delgado helped set up Tillman, who found space and finished the deciding goal. It was Tillman’s first goal in more than two years and came in his 150th appearance in all competitions for LAFC.
The match was tight statistically, but LAFC generated more volume in the attack. LAFC outshot Seattle 17-10 according to ESPN’s match stats, while Seattle held a slight possession edge at 51.5%. Seattle put four shots on goal, but Hasal answered each time.
For Seattle, the loss was a frustrating finish before the break. The Sounders entered the match near the top of the Western Conference but left Los Angeles with a second straight defeat. Seattle’s defense kept the game close for most of the night, but Tillman’s late goal left the visitors without enough time to respond.
For LAFC, the result was about more than one goal. After a difficult stretch, the club showed enough defensive discipline and late-game composure to earn three points against a familiar Western Conference opponent.
