Although the score line may have been the same, the Seattle Sounders’ 3-1 Round One win over LAFC in this year’s Audi MLS Cup Playoffs felt different than last year's postseason meeting with the Black and Gold.
Seattle’s victory at Banc of California Stadium in the 2019 Western Conference Championship is widely considered the greatest game the Sounders have ever played, and it needed to be to get a result at the home of the Supporters’ Shield winners and heavy favorites. But this past Tuesday, Seattle came out on the front foot from the get-go and never really let LAFC into the match, putting in a dominant 90-minute performance that never really felt in doubt.