Seattle Sounders 1-1 LAFC player ratings: Rusnak & Arango score in stalemate

LAFC came from behind to salvage a 1-1 draw away at the Seattle Sounders on Saturday afternoon.

With Major League Soccer back to a full schedule after the international break, this was easily the marquee clash of the weekend between the Concacaf Champions League holders and current Supporters' Shield leaders.

After a goalless first half of limited chances, Seattle struck first with Albert Rusnak picking up a sloppy pass from Maxime Crepeau before driving forward and firing the ball home.

For a while, it looked like that would be enough to seal all three points, but LAFC managed to draw level in the 79th minute with Cristian Arango looping a header beyond Stefan Frei. Minutes earlier, Sounders center-back Xavier Arreaga had been forced out with a hamstring problem, disrupting the Rave Green defense just enough for the Black and Gold to profit.

The point leaves LAFC top of the overall standings, while Seattle are still battling on the fringes of the Playoff race.

Here are the full player ratings from Lumen Field.

Seattle Sounders vs LAFC player ratings

1. Seattle Sounders (4-2-3-1)

GK: Stefan Frei - 7/10 - Pulled off a string of excellent saves that should be beyond a 36-year-old, but caught flat-footed for the equalizer.

RB: Alex Roldan - 5/10 - Beaten in the air by Trejo in the build-up to LAFC's goal.

CB: Jackson Ragen - 8/10 - Made a number of goal-saving tackles and blocks. Continues to look comfortable at this level.

CB: Xavier Arreaga - 7/10 - Put in a strong defensive performance before being forced out with a hamstring injury. Could be a big miss for the Sounders.

LB: Nouhou Tolo - 5/10 - Did well while at left-back but didn't cover himself in glory on LAFC's equalizer. Beaten far too easily in the air by Arango.

CM: Albert Rusnak - 8/10 - Lost the ball a lot, but only because he was always trying to make things happen. Alert to steal position and fire home the opening goal.

CM: Obed Vargas - 6/10 - Another promising performance from the 16-year-old Vargas, who passed the ball well and did his defensive duties.

RW: Cristian Roldan - 5/10 - A quiet afternoon for Roldan by his own high standards.

CAM: Nico Lodeiro - 5/10 - Far more wasteful and ineffective than we're used to seeing from Lodeiro, who was also lucky to escape further punishment for a nasty tackle in the first half.

LW: Jordan Morris - 8/10 - Was Seattle's best attacking outlet for the opening hour, running behind the LAFC defense at will. Morris' USMNT exertions caught up as he slowed down toward the end.

ST: Fredy Montero - 4/10 - A day to forget for Montero, who was starved of service and blasted his only shot very high and wide.

SUB: Will Bruin (67 mins for Montero) - 5/10 - Did okay but couldn't change the game.

SUB: Kelyn Rowe (74 mins for Vargas) - 6/10 - Fine at both ends of the field.

SUB: Jimmy Medranda (74 mins for Arreaga) - 6/10 - Kept it simple with a few clearances.

SUB: Leo Chu (88 mins for Morris) - N/A - No time to get into the game.

2. LAFC (4-3-3)

GK: Maxime Crepeau - 3/10 - A sloppy pass out from the back conceded possession and allowed Seattle to open the scoring.

RB: Ryan Hollingshead - 5/10 - Solid enough defensively but missed a huge chance to level the game shortly before coming off.

CB: Jesus Murillo - 6/10 - All over the place in the first half but settled eventually.

CB: Sebastien Ibeagha - 6/10 - Similar to Murillo, it took Ibeagha a while to get going but was fine once he did.

LB: Diego Palacios - 4/10 - Tried to make things happen but was too sloppy. Lost out in a lot of 50-50 duels.

CM: Jose Cifuentes - 8/10 - Was electric in midfield, winning the ball all over and doing his best to break the Sounders open.

CM: Ilie Sanchez - 5/10 - Caught flat-footed and unable to receive Crepeau's pass, though far more blame should be given to the goalkeeper. Clean and tidy otherwise.

CM: Latif Blessing - 6/10 - Completed all 20 of his passes and created a couple of openings but ran out of steam in the second half.

RW: Kwadwo Opoku - 5/10 - Neat and tidy on the ball but missed a big chance midway through the first half. Withdrawn at the break.

ST: Cristian Arango - 8/10 - After six games without a goal, Arango now has two in two. An excellent header to beat Frei and salvage a point.

LW: Danny Musovski - 4/10 - Somewhat wasteful with the ball and missed a good chance to put LAFC 1-0 up just before half-time.

SUB: Carlos Vela (46 mins for Opoku) - 6/10 - Took a while to adjust to the match but started to ask questions of Seattle later on.

SUB: Franco Escobar (67 mins for Hollingshead) - 4/10 - Struggled to get into the game.

SUB: Kellyn Acosta (67 mins for Blessing) - 5/10 - Clean on the ball and added legs to the midfield.

SUB: Daniel Trejo (73 mins for Musovski) - 7/10 - Helped set up Arango's equalizer.

SUB: Francisco Ginella (80 mins for Cifuentes) - 6/10 - Looked lively with the ball despite limited minutes.