Seattle Sounders to Host Strong LA Galaxy Side
Offensively Struggling Sounders will Face Defensively Strong LA Galaxy -Century Link Field, 12:00 p.m. Pacific TIme
It has been two very different seasons for Sounders coach Sigi Schmid and LA Galaxy’s Bruce Arena. Schmid’s current record is 5 wins, 2 draws, and 9 losses, hovering near the bottom of the table in 9th place. This has been a difficult run for Sigi and the Sounders, with no traction having been gained this season. Bruce Arena, however, is having a significantly better season. Coming off a 2-0 win at home versus the Vancouver Whitecaps, the Galaxy are sitting comfortably at fourth place in the Western Conference. LA also has the better overall record, with 6 wins, 8 draws, and 3 losses.
Tale of Two Teams
This is a must-win for Seattle. They managed to salvage a point on the road against Toronto last Saturday, and soon after that faced off with the English team West Ham United in a 3-0 win during an International Friendly match. There is some momentum finally flowing towards the struggling Seattle Sounders. It is thought that Clint
Dempsey, fresh off his rest from USMNT duty, will be back in the starting lineup. This will hopefully jump start the ailing Sounders attack. Brad Evans will most likely be back in rotation as well, the veteran captain having suffered a calf strain recently against NYCFC. Speculation still abounds regarding defender Roman Torres and his eventual return, although he could theoretically make a return this match.
LA Galaxy will be without Nigel De Jong due to a very poor tackle that earned him a straight red in their recent win over Vancouver. Robbie Keane made his return from the Euros immediately felt, scoring one of the two goals against the Whitecaps. The Galaxy will also have their defense bolstered by the return of Ashley Cole and Jelle Van Damme. Both Cole and Van Damme are returning from discipline-related issues, Cole coming back after a red card and Van Damme coming back after yellow card accumulation. Steven Gerrard has been having a fairly successful season in an attacking midfield position, supporting Robbie Keane.
What It Will Take
While every match is vital, a win for the Sounders would be absolutely key to rebuilding this season and making the long trek into playoff contention. Both teams have recently ended severe losing streaks, but Seattle has much more ground to gain back. A loss for SSFC would be incredibly devastating, akin to one more nail in the coffin of a very nearly dead season. A win would galvanize their most recent successes against Toronto and the friendly win against West Ham. It is key for the Sounders to play like that, and will have the home field advantage to help boost them toward three points.
must read: International Friendlies: Who Benefits?
Beyond playing like they want to win, it will be vital to their success to neutralize the midfield, particularly Steven Gerrard. If the Sounders can mitigate the distribution from midfield, they can prevent Keane from causing havoc in the back line. Seattle will also need to play very intelligently, not over-committing on tackles but winning balls in the midfield consistently and cleanly. Equally important will be how the Sounders earn possession and what they do with it. With Dempsey hopefully back in the lineup, the Sounders should be able to find themselves on the ball more, activating more opportunities on goal. Between that, and weathering the physical defense of LA, the Sounders can absolutely pick up all three points in the battle.