VIDEO: 3 early goals begin lively encounter between Seattle, LA Galaxy

Three goals began what is expected to be a lively winner-take-all playoff at CenturyLink Field, with the hosts Seattle Sounders taking a 2-1 lead in the early exchanges.

Clint Dempsey was the first on the score sheet, after he picked himself up from the ground to hobble his way toward the LA Galaxy area. What followed, however, was a piece of gross miscommunication at the back, where veteran 'keeper Donovan Ricketts was probably the man at fault, seeing as he called for the ball before he inexplicably pushed it to the feet of Dempsey.

Before the Seattle support had settled down, however, the Galaxy had leveled things up through Sebastian Lletget, who prodded the ball past Stefan Frei.

Another direct move from Seattle let them regain the lead. Andreas Ivanschitz arrowed the ball into enemy territory, and his teammates were queuing up to finish it off as the Galaxy's backline again looked clueless. Nelson Valdez was the man to slide home.

A rip-roaring start to a match between two powerhouses of Major League Soccer.