Even in a game with two goals, two red cards and no shortage of drama and contentiousness, it was in some ways the defining moment of the afternoon.
As ESPN’s Taylor Twellman said afterwards, it was harder for Christian Ramirez to miss than to score when a fleet-footed endline run and pinpoint low cross from Latif Blessing set him up with a back-post tap-in early in the second half of LAFC’s 1-1 draw with the Seattle Sounders on Sunday.
But the man still revered as “Superman” by Minnesota United fans in the Twin Cities left his feet and let his finish flare high of the target with an empty net looming, and the letoff would come back to haunt the visitors as they proved unable to break down a shorthanded Sounders side at CenturyLink Field.
Postgame, LAFC coach Bob Bradley underlined his faith in the striker when asked about the play.
“I mean look, we create a good chance, the ball’s coming across, hopping a little bit,” said Bradley. “Christian feels bad because he’s a goalscorer.
“But that’s football and he’s still a guy that we have great confidence in, in terms of his ability to score goals. And I think in this last stretch he’s played really well. So I don’t think anybody thinks about it more than that.”
Ramirez and the rest of the Black & Gold will get their next chance to vanquish the memory of that moment when they host the Chicago Fire on Saturday (10:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+, MLS LIVE on DAZN).
