When the LA Galaxy visited Seattle a month ago, they needed a victory in order to clinch the Supporters’ Shield. This time it’s Sounders FC that will be in a must-win situation at CenturyLink Field.
LA comes to town once again this weekend for the Second Leg of the MLS Western Conference Championship. After falling 1-0 on the road in the First Leg, the Sounders need to score on Sunday or their season will come to an end.
Seattle is preparing to find a balance between pushing for that goal and staying compact on the other end. A goal for the Galaxy would mean the Rave Green has to score three times due to the newly implemented away-goals rule.
“It’s a balance for sure, but it’s one that we’re aware of and I think we can manage,” Head Coach Sigi Schmid said. “We have to be smart about it. But on the same token, we’ve got to make sure that we execute. I think if we execute and keep possession of the ball, it will work out.”
LA had the better of the possession in the First Leg and scored its goal on a deflected shot by Marcelo Sarvas. A draw on Sunday would send the Galaxy to the MLS Cup Final, but Seattle knows its opponent is not one to sit back and defend for 90 minutes.
“They don’t play to tie games,” Seattle captain Brad Evans said. “So I think they’ll still press when given the opportunity. We’ll have to open up at some point, but it’s being smart and knowing that when we do push forward, we’ve got to get everybody forward.”
<b>Second Leg Outcome</b> |
<strong>Advancement Scenario </strong> |
Any draw |
LA advances |
Any Galaxy win |
LA advances |
1-0 Sounders win |
Overtime and PKs |
Any other one-goal Sounders win |
LA advances |
Any Sounders win by two or more goals |
Seattle advances |
If the time does come to push everyone forward, Evans added, it won’t be until late in the second half. The Sounders trust their ability to score against an LA side that gave up two goals to Seattle in each of the final two regular-season matches.
A 1-0 result in Seattle’s favor would send the series to extra time with the two clubs knotted up after 180 minutes. In overtime the away-goals rule does not apply, so a goal for the Galaxy wouldn’t be quite as devastating. If the aggregate score is still tied after two 15-minute periods, the series will be decided by penalty kicks.
An early goal for Sounders FC would ignite the crowd at CenturyLink Field and shift the pressure onto the away team.
“You know they don’t want to go into overtime and PKs here,” Evans said. “It’s a big advantage for us. Anything can happen, but for us we look to press the game at certain times while also being smart.”
Sunday’s Second Leg is scheduled to kick off at 6:00pm PST with national television coverage on ESPN.
