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. Sponsors Full Pull Wines Watson's Counter Nos Audietis is the flagship podcast for Sounder at Heart, which became a reader-supported website on Aug. 21. You can support us by becoming a paid subscriber, learn more: https://www.sounderatheart.com/about/ You can also support the show by checking out our line of merch including every past YachtCon design and our latest skull-and-crossbones logo.