In a game with huge playoff implications, the Los Angeles Galaxy can stretch their winning streak at home to four matches in all competitions when they welcome the Seattle Sounders to Dignity Health Sports Park on Friday.
Greg Vanney's men are coming off a 5-2 triumph against the Vancouver Whitecaps, which vaulted them into sixth in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer, one point ahead of the Rave Green, who sit ninth following back-to-back 2-1 defeats to Atlanta United and Real Salt Lake.
Match preview
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For a team that had lost five of their previous six games heading into their encounter last week, LA did not play like a team low on confidence as they took out their frustrations on the Caps, going 3-0 up within half an hour.
With only four of their remaining 10 regular season fixtures taking place home, this will feel like a must-win game for the Galaxy as only three points separate them from Vancouver in 11th.
While they showed their quality a week ago, this team have been a lot stingier on the backline in their recent home outings, posting three clean sheets in their previous five fixtures in all competitions.
Throughout the season, Vanney has talked about improving their link-up play while needing to be better with that final ball, and we saw them do both of those things well last Saturday, scoring on five of their seven efforts on target, with 63% of the possession.
One notable difference from the 2021 squad to the current one is the amount of production they have gotten across the board.
Seven players have tallied at least twice for them in this domestic campaign, a sharp contrast from last year when it seemed like Chicharito was their sole contributor.
Lately, scoring first has been a critical factor to their success, winning their last three matches when drawing first blood, including two clean sheets, while losing their previous three encounters in which they conceded first and failing to tally on two occasions.
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Seattle are flirting with disaster at the moment, having lost six of their last eight MLS games as the reigning CONCACAF Champions League winners are running out of time to climb back into a postseason position.
By no means are their playoff hopes gone, as a win would vault them back into the top seven, but to see this team in ninth at this stage of the competition is a strange feeling.
They have never missed the postseason since joining the league, finishing in the top-three of the Western Conference over their past five regular-season campaigns.
The following two games could be pivotal for Brian Schmetzer's side, who face the Galaxy and the Portland Timbers, two of the three teams sitting just above them in the table.
Seattle begin this three-game road trip, having lost their previous four away matches, with their last win as the visitors coming in early July when they defeated Toronto 2-0.
It has often been a case of close but no cigar for the Rave Green on the road this year, losing seven of their matches outside of Lumen Field by a single goal.
In three of their last four games, they have found themselves behind at the interval, a scenario which has usually not turned out well for them.
Their previous victory when trailing at the half came in late May when they scored twice in the final 45 minutes to defeat Charlotte FC 2-1.
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Team News
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A brace from Samuel Grandsir plus strikes from Chicharito, Victor Vazquez and Efrain Alvarez gave the Galaxy a much-needed boost at home last weekend, while Kevin Cabral, Dejan Joveljic and Julian Araujo each chipped in with an assist.
Four of the six clean sheets picked up this year by Jonathan Bond have come at Dignity Health Sports Park, while Douglas Costa scored the only goal for LA in this exact fixture against Seattle a year ago.
Sega Coulibaly will be suspended for this encounter after incurring another yellow card last weekend, Daniel Aguirre remains questionable with a lower-body issue and Jorge Villafana is out with a left knee injury.
Raul Ruidiaz returned to the Seattle starting lineup last Sunday for the first time since July 9, and he has feasted off LA in the past, scoring eight times against them in his Sounders career, including once in each fixture versus the Galaxy in 2021.
Albert Rusnak picked up his second of the season in a losing effort against his former side, RSL, while Nicolas Lodeiro had his fifth assist of the season, moving ahead of Cristian Roldan into first on the team in that category.
The Sounders will be missing Obed Vargas with a lower back stress fracture, while Joao Paulo is done for the season with a right ACL tear.
Los Angeles Galaxy possible starting lineup:
Bond; Araujo, Zavaleta, DePuy, Edwards; Cabral, Delgado, Kljestan, Grandsir; Chicharito, Vazquez
Seattle Sounders possible starting lineup:
Frei; A. Roldan, Gomez, Arreaga, Tolo; Rowe, Rusnak; C. Roldan, Lodeiro, Morris; Ruidiaz
We say: Los Angeles Galaxy 1-2 Seattle Sounders
The Sounders are really up against it now, but we still believe that given their experience in big games and the return of Ruidiaz, they will get it together when it matters most.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
