A pair of clubs on the outside looking in at the playoff picture will meet Saturday when the Seattle Sounders visit the Los Angeles Galaxy in Carson, Calif., in the renewal of a longtime West Coast rivalry.
The retooled Galaxy (7-10-8, 29 points) have shown promise of late but enter off a 3-0 loss on the road to the Western Conference-leading Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday.
Midfielder Sergi Roberto entered as a substitute in his third match for Los Angeles, forward Hirving “Chucky” Lozano made his fourth start for the club, and midfielder Pablo Ruiz made his first start with the team.
Galaxy coach Greg Vanney acknowledged the challenge of finding unity among so many new faces.
“We hope we can be a little more consistent with everything that we’re trying to do, especially in the midfield, because I think that’s what ties a lot of these things together,” Vanney said. “So, hopefully we get some continuity.”
Four players share the Galaxy’s team lead with five goals each in MLS play, among them Joao Klauss, who has not played since April due to foot surgery.
The Sounders (7-9-6, 27 points) are in an extended struggle that started before the World Cup break began.
A 2-0 home loss to the Galaxy on May 16 ended a nine-game unbeaten streak in MLS play, and Seattle hasn’t won an MLS match since, with the loss starting a 0-8-3 run in league play.
The Sounders arrive in Southern California after a 0-0 draw at home against the New York Red Bulls last Saturday. It was the first time Seattle held an opponent scoreless in MLS play since a 1-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo on April 4.
Signs of hope for the road ahead include three draws in the past three matches. Against the Red Bulls, Cristian Roldan made his first start since May 24, and Jordan Morris started for the first time since July 16. Both players had been dealing with quad injuries.
“(There is) motivation to get back to the old Sounders,” Roldan told FOX 13 Seattle. “We’ve had a tough four months, and part of it is (the) break, part of it is injuries, part of it is not putting the ball in the back of the net. … We really believe in our locker room.”
New Sounders striker Dejan Joveljic will face his former club following his move from Sporting Kansas City last month. Joveljic, who played with the Galaxy from 2021-24, scored a pair of goals in his Seattle debut Aug. 29 and has 10 total MLS goals this season.
–Field Level Media
