SEATTLE – It wasn’t Jordan Morris’ most memorable goal. But it certainly won’t be one he’ll ever forget.
With the Sounders leading by a goal in the 77th minute, wingback Paul Rothrock received a pass and began dribbling along the edge of the penalty box from the right wing.
Then, Jordan Morris made the run, darting behind Los Angeles FC’s defense. Rothrock slid a simple through ball to the striker’s feet. Morris, calmly, slotted the ball through the legs of LAFC goalkeeper Thomas Hasal. He pointed to the sky, then kissed the Sounders’ badge.
It was his 87th goal in all competitions for the Sounders — making him the club’s all-time leading scorer.
Morris helped the Sounders — wearing their Salish Sea alternate uniforms for the first time — claim their first MLS win of the 2025 season on Saturday, beating LAFC 5-2 in front of 30,107 fans at Lumen Field. Wingbacks Kalani Kossa Rienzi and Rothrock, along with late strikes by Christian Roldan and Albert Rusnak, rounded out Seattle’s scoring. LAFC had goals from Nathan Ordaz and David Martinez.
Manager Brian Schmetzer heavily rotated his team following the Sounders’ goalless draw against Cruz Azul in the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Wednesday. Only winger Pedro de la Vega and defender Yeimar Andrade retained their starting spots.
Defenders Josh Bell and Jackson Ragen returned to the starting lineup, while Andrew Thomas was given the start in goal. João Paulo and Danny Leyva were reintroduced in the midfield. Former UW standout Kossa-Rienzi made his second start in league play at right wingback, while Rothrock was deployed at left wingback.
Schmetzer also gave new signing Jesús Ferreira his first MLS start as a Sounder on the left wing, across from de la Vega, while Danny Musovski led the line. LAFC, also still engaged in its Champions Cup campaign, similarly rotated its lineup as coach Steve Cherundolo only retained two of his starters — defender Aaron Long and midfielder Mark Delgado.
It only took 11 minutes for Schmetzer’s changes to create a goal. The buildup started when Bell’s cross-field pass found Ferreira, who was pulling wide to the left wing after switching positions with de la Vega. Ferreira received the pass, then lofted a through ball into the box for the onrushing Kossa-Rienzi.
The 22-year-old wingback, on a short-term loan from Tacoma Defiance, held off LAFC’s Artem Smolyakov entering the penalty box, then discarded the defender with a quick swivel near the left goal post before lashing a shot into the far corner of the goal. It was the first MLS goal of Kossa-Rienzi’s career, and the Sounders’ first score since beating Antigua 3-1 in the Champions Cup on Feb. 26.
But the Sounders’ fortune didn’t last long. De la Vega went down with an apparent injury after the half-hour mark, and was substituted for Rusnak in the 36th minute.
Two minutes later, LAFC found its equalizer when Thomas failed to collect a corner kick in the 38th minute, causing a scramble in the box. The ball fell to LAFC winger Ordaz. His first shot was blocked on the goal line by João Paulo. Ordaz’s second attempt found the back of the net, tying the match 1-1.
Both teams made significant changes at halftime. LAFC brought on regular starters Igor Jesus, Ryan Hollingshead and Marlon, while Schmetzer introduced Morris for Musovski.
The Sounders broke the deadlock in the 57th minute. A short corner eventually made its way to Rothrock, patiently waiting beyond the top of the penalty box. He unleashed a thunderous right-footed shot, catching Hasal flat footed and finding the net to give the Sounders a 2-1 lead.
Morris broke the club scoring record 20 minutes later, surpassing Sounders legend Raul Ruidiaz in the process. Roldan tacked on another goal in the 84th minute, while Rusnak scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time. Martinez tallied LAFC’s second strike in the 92nd minute.