I’ll admit, I was not quite ready for the 2023 season to end. A season that had once been virtually left for dead had come roaring back to life over the last couple months and I had sorta talked myself into the belief that this season was destined to end at MLS Cup. Maybe not actually lifting, but at least making a valiant charge, maybe even with Nicolas Lodeiro and Raúl Ruidiaz putting in a couple notable performances along the way.
Nothing I saw against LAFC totally dissuaded me from believing that outcome was at least plausible, but the 1-0 loss at least means it’s no longer possible.
If I’m to pull back a little, I suppose the final game was rather predictable. The Sounders played reasonably well – I think you can even say they outplayed LAFC – but couldn’t convert their chances, while LAFC made the most of theirs. Maxime Crepeau is a big reason why the sounders couldn’t convert, but the decisive factor ending up being the most predictable thing ever: Denis Buounga racing down the left wing and firing an absolute laser past Stefan Frei.
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