On Sunday afternoon at CenturyLink Field in downtown Seattle, WA, a new era will start when the Seattle Sounders host the LA Galaxy for the second time this month. The Sounders this week agreed to mutually part ways with longtime and only coach in their MLS history, Sigi Schmid. The game is scheduled to kickoff at 4:00 pm ET and can be seen on ESPN.
Last time out
The last time the Sounders took the field, they were embarrassed to the tune of a 3-0 whitewashing by Sporting Kansas City. Ultimately, that was the final straw for the Sounders front office as they let Schmid go this past Tuesday. LA is coming off of a 2-1 victory over the Portland Timbers last Saturday. LA is quietly having yet again another good season as they find themselves sitting in third place in the West.
Last meeting
The last time these two met was on July 20th during the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals. Seattle held the lead late until LA scored three goals in the final ten minutes to move on to the semifinals with a 4-2 victory. The last MLS meeting came on July 9th, also in Seattle, with LA coming away with a 1-0 victory after a goal from Robbie Keane in the 15th minute. Seattle had plenty of chances but just was not able to capitalize.
Injury Report
According to the league website, Robbie Rogers is listed as out (ankle surgery 6/20, out six weeks) as well as Ashley Cole (hamstring issue). Steven Gerrard (undisclosed injury) is listed as probable. However, Adam Serrano tweeted out that both and Cole and Nigel de Jong are “very likely” to be in the lineup.
Seattle has two players listed as out. Roman Torres (left ACL tear) has been out since last September and is no real surprise. It is also not a surprise that Aaron Kovar is out as well (fractured clavicle 7/20/17), out 6-8 weeks) as he suffered the injury against the Galaxy when he and teammate O’Neil Fisher collided in the air.
New signings key for Seattle
After the news of Seattle and Schmid parting ways, the Sounders went out and brought in two new players. Nicolás Lodeiro and Alvaro “Flaco” Fernandez were signed on Wednesday and Thursday respectively and both players are available for selection on Sunday against the Galaxy.
Lodeiro is the playmaker that Seattle has been missing all year long. He is speedy, left-footed and has a deadly free kick, exactly what the Sounders need. He can read the defenses and hopefully put the ball where his teammates will be going. The signing of Fernandez will be an added boost as well as he is a solid wing player and can add depth to the squad.
Key Players
As always, Robbie Keane, Giovani dos Santos, Gyasi Zardes and Steven Gerrard will need to be held in check if the Sounders have any chance of pulling off a victory. Keane always seems to find a way to score against the Sounders in his career. If the Sounders can keep him off the scoresheet, that will be a small moral victory.
For the Sounders, it is pretty simple who the key player is. With it being his first game, Lodeiro will be the man to watch. Clint Dempsey will be happy to see the club has good, quality midfielder that can make plays. It will be interesting to see how quickly Lodeiro and the rest of the team can form a bond.
Prediction
This is the first game of a new era in Sounders MLS history. A new coach, new players and current player trying to prove that they still belong in the Emerald City. Seattle will come out hyped and will want to put on a good show now that they know the front office isn’t afraid to make changes. LA will need to do their best to absorb the attack that the Sounders give them in the first 15-20 minutes of the game. If they can withstand that pressure, LA has a good chance to walk out of Seattle with a victory.
In saying all of that, it’s not going to happen for LA. There are just too many things going on in Seattle right now for them not to win. Lodeiro will make an impression and will get an assist on the game-winning goal to show everyone exactly why Seattle have been after him for over five months.