Solo effort enough to beat Seattle Sounders 1-0 LAFC play Houston Dynamo for place in MLS Cup final Denis Bouanga’s moment of magic was enough to give Los Angeles FC a 1-0 win over Seattle Sounders in the Western Conference semi-finals, moving LAFC one step closer to defending their MLS Cup title. Bouanga scored his fourth goal of the playoffs in the 30th minute, goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau made seven saves, and defending champion LAFC advanced to the Western Conference final on Sunday night ..read more

Al Ahly’s late goal ends Seattle debut 1-0 in Club World Cup Sounders were first US team to ever take part in competition Mohamed Afsha scored on a deflected shot in the 88th minute and sent Al Ahly into the Club World Cup semi-finals by beating the Seattle Sounders 1-0 on Saturday. Afsha scored after coming on as a substitute in the 63rd. He lifted Al Ahly into the semi-finals for the third straight year, and brought an abrupt end to the first appearance by a team from the United States in the competition ..read more

MLS Cup final: Columbus Crew 3-0 Seattle Sounders Sounders denied back-to-back titles by the Crew How a group of fans in a bar saved the Crew from extinction Lucas Zelarayan scored midway through the first half and added the clincher in the 82nd minute and the Columbus Crew won their second MLS Cup title, beating the defending champion Seattle Sounders 3-0 on Saturday night. Derrick Etienne Jr also scored in the first 45 minutes for Columbus. The Crew withstood Seattle’s second-half pressure and finally celebrated after Zelarayan’s second goal. ZELARAYAN OPENS THE SCORING@ColumbusCrewSC ..read more

Perennial also-rans Philadelphia are the improbable favorites as the MLS playoffs kick off on Friday night. But usual suspects Seattle Sounders and Toronto FC are right there with them Eighteen teams, 17 matches, 23 days. What promises to be the most unpredictable Major League Soccer playoffs in the 25-year history of America’s top division kicks off Friday night with a pair of play-in games ahead of this weekend’s first round proper. Here’s an idea of what to expect. Related: Philadelphia Union quell New England to claim Supporters' Shield and top seed ..read more

The league does not have the lengthy history of other competitions but it has delivered plenty of memorable uniforms What makes a good soccer kit? For some, bold and brash is best. For others, clean and simple works. Some fans remember their favourite kits not on the basis of their design, but on what their team achieved wearing them. And yet there are some kits that rise to the surface as era-defining or iconic. Major League Soccer might not have the long and storied history of other competitions, but it has had more than its fair share of memorable kits in 25 years of existence. Some weird ..read more

Major League Soccer’s ambitious goal of growing into one of the world’s best leagues is ever compromised with so many of its teams still playing on artificial surfaces In every other way, it was a marquee event. The sight of 69,274 fans, a stadium record attendance, packed into CenturyLink Field was enough to illustrate this, although the elaborate pre-game TIFOs, pyrotechnics and ‘March To The Match’ from downtown Seattle out to the venue only added to the spectacle. Indeed, last year’s MLS Cup final had all the components of a Big Match, besides one: the pitch. Like every Seattle Sounders ho ..read more

Major League Soccer’s original super franchise has made an understated, under-the-radar efficiency their calling card – and it served them well en route to their improbable second title On the statistics alone, Toronto FC had the edge in Sunday’s MLS Cup final, claiming 65% of possession, attempting 408 passes in the attacking third compared to the Seattle Sounders’ comparatively low tally of 184 and registering just as many total shots (16) as their Pacific Northwest hosts. The Sounders are a team with a track record of going against the numerical grain, though. Related: Opportunistic Sounder ..read more

Sounders win second title before 69,274 at CenturyLink Field MLS Cup final: Seattle Sounders 3-1 Toronto FC – as it happened Sometimes cup finals are settled with a moment of brilliance, a sprinkling of stardust that will never be forgotten. And sometimes, someone just sticks out a knee. The Seattle Sounders are MLS Cup champions after a 3-1 win over a Toronto FC side who looked the better team for long periods of Sunday’s final until they were doomed by a deflection. Related: MLS Cup final: Seattle Sounders 3-1 Toronto FC – as it happened ..read more

Sounders erupt in second half to capture MLS Cup title 10.47pm GMT You can read Tom Dart’s match report here. Related: Opportunistic Sounders see off Toronto FC for second MLS Cup title in four years 10.12pm GMT The Seattle Sounders are an MLS success story, setting a new standard for club ambition and supporter fervor. They won a few US Open Cups, but the grand prize eluded them for nearly a decade. Until today, they still hadn’t scored a goal in MLS Cup even though they won the trophy once. Even when the goal finally happened, it was an own goal -- no matter what the statisticians say. 10 ..read more

One of America’s most unexpected and unlikely rivalries will resume on Sunday when Seattle and Toronto FC meet in the MLS Cup final for a third time in four years There are derbies and there are rivalries. Most derbies are rivalries, but not all rivalries are derbies. Some in Major League Soccer circles are often guilty of conflating the two. The so-called 401 Derby between the Montreal Impact and Toronto FC, for instance, isn’t really a derby. Neither is the contest between the Seattle Sounders and Toronto FC given that there is over 2,500 miles between the two clubs. And yet circumstances ha ..read more