Damian Las Shines in MLS Debut as Austin FC Edge Sounders 2-1 and Seattle's Skid Hits Eight

Guilherme Biro came off the Austin FC bench in the 59th minute, and in the 87th he did something Lumen Field will be seeing on replay for a while. Brandon Vázquez floated a ball to the far post after a corner, and Biro launched himself at it, hammering a left-footed volley from the left side of the six-yard box into the top left corner from an angle that had no business producing a goal. Fans later voted it MLS Goal of the Matchday with 53.8 percent of the vote, which honestly feels low.

That strike was the dagger in a 2-1 Austin FC win over the Seattle Sounders on Wednesday night. Facundo Torres broke the deadlock in the 66th minute, Stuart Hawkins headed one back in the 90th, and Damian Las, making his MLS debut according to Austin FC, made six saves to drag the visitors over the line. For Seattle, it was an eighth straight loss, a run the Sounders noted is a club record.

A First Half Built on Woodwork and Near Misses

The opening 45 minutes were more simmer than boil. Jorge Alastuey fired over from distance in the 10th minute, and Danny Musovski sent a header high and wide off an Albert Rusnák set piece in the 18th. Around the 26th minute, Vázquez slipped in behind and hit the far post, per the Sounders' account, but the flag was already up for offside.

Austin owned more of the ball and carved out the better looks. CJ Fodrey's header from point-blank range off a Zan Kolmanic delivery in the 33rd minute just missed the top left corner. Play stopped for an injury to Seattle center back Jackson Ragen a few minutes later, and he would eventually come off injured in the 69th. Right before the break, Alastuey smacked the right post with a left-footed shot from outside the box, Kolmanic followed with an effort that Andrew Thomas saved, and Rusnák had a shot blocked at the other end.

Seattle Leans In, Las Leans Further

Seattle came out of the locker room with Snyder Brunell on for Sebastian Gomez, and the hosts looked like a different team. Kalani Kossa-Rienzi was booked in the 48th minute for a bad foul on Jayden Nelson, and then Seattle went to work on the rookie in goal. Paul Rothrock forced saves in the 50th and 55th minutes. Brunell drew another in the 58th. In the 61st, Las produced the stop of the night, diving to his right and, per the Sounders, getting one arm to Musovski's shot from the right side of the box.

Austin weathered it and then punched back. Przemyslaw Placheta forced Thomas into a save in the 63rd and had another attempt blocked a minute later. In the 66th, Kolmanic swung in a cross and Torres met it with a first-time left-footed finish past a diving Thomas. Austin FC credited Nelson with a second assist on the goal; ESPN lists Kolmanic alone.

Seattle kept swinging. Brunell blazed over off a corner in the 71st, Kossa-Rienzi slid a shot just wide after Rusnák found him in the 76th, and Las turned away Rothrock in the 78th and Rusnák in the 85th. At the other end, substitute Ervin Torres forced Thomas into two saves in the 86th minute, and the corner that followed set up Biro's highlight-reel finish.

Hawkins, who had replaced Ragen, rose to head Rusnák's free kick into the top right corner in the 90th minute, and suddenly five minutes of stoppage time felt like 50. Musovski had a shot blocked and Rothrock fired high and wide off a corner in the 94th. The last real chance belonged to Austin: Vázquez went clear on a breakaway, per the Sounders, and Thomas denied him.

The Debutant and the Closers

This one belongs to Las. Seattle put seven shots on target and he saved six of them, with the only blemish a late header from the middle of the box. That is a road debut that should earn him a longer look.

Facundo Torres needed exactly one shot to make his mark, and it went in. Kolmanic added an assist and a shot on target. Vázquez was a nuisance all night, picking up the assist on the winner while committing three fouls of his own. And Biro, with one shot off the bench, delivered the goal everyone will remember.

For Seattle, Rothrock was the most dangerous attacker, putting three of his four shots on target. Rusnák took five shots and set up Hawkins, an assist the club said was his 150th career goal contribution in MLS regular-season play. The Sounders said Hawkins, a 19-year-old Homegrown center back, had never scored in MLS before, and this one came in only his 10th league appearance. Rafael Jauregui, a Tacoma Defiance player available on a Short-Term Agreement, made his MLS debut off the bench in the 88th.

The Turning Point

The 66th minute flipped everything. Seattle had forced four saves out of Las between the 50th and 61st minutes and looked like the team more likely to score. Instead, Austin found one clean move, Kolmanic picked out Torres, and the hosts had to chase. Chasing meant more bodies forward and, eventually, the corner that led to Biro's volley.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Seattle 19, Austin 12, with each side putting seven on target.
• Saves: Las 6, Thomas 5.
• Crosses: Seattle attempted 30 and completed only 3.
• Clearances: Austin 36, Seattle 14.
• Possession: Austin 54.1 percent, Seattle 45.9 percent.

Two Clubs, Two Very Different Streaks

Austin FC moved to 5-5-10 with 20 points. By our count of this season's results, it was Austin's first road win of the 2026 regular season, after going 0-3-7 in its first 10 away matches. It also snapped a three-match losing run against Houston, Colorado and Dallas, and completed a season sweep of Seattle after a 3-1 win in Austin on July 22. Austin hosts the Philadelphia Union on Saturday, Aug. 22.

Seattle fell to 7-3-9 with 24 points and, per the club, sat three points below the MLS Cup Playoffs line at the time of writing. The Sounders have not won since a 3-2 home win over San Jose on May 13, and the eight-game slide includes two losses to Austin. They wrap up a three-match week at FC Cincinnati on Saturday.

Groundhog Day in the Pacific Northwest

Nineteen shots, seven on target, and Seattle still woke up to the same result for an eighth straight time. It is the Bill Murray loop, minus the charm. The good news for Seattle is that the movie eventually ends. The bad news is that it took Phil Connors a lot of tries to get there.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Match notes as reported by Seattle Sounders FC (soundersfc.com), Austin FC (austinfc.com) and mlssoccer.com.