The Seattle Sounders visit the LA Galaxy on Saturday in the first of two meetings between the sides during the 2019 MLS regular season. Here is everything you need to know:
WHEN AND WHERE: 7:00 p.m. PT at Dignity Health Sports Park.
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be televised on ESPN2 and streamed on YouTube TV.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The match will air on 950 KJR AM and El Rey 1360 AM.
2019 RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Sounders: 11-8-6 (39, 5th West), Galaxy 13-11-1 (40 points, 3rd in West)
FORM GUIDE (most recent first): Seattle: LDLWL LA: WLLLW
ALL-TIME HISTORY: The Sounders are 7-10-9 all-time against the Galaxy, including a 3-6-4 mark on the road.
PREVIOUS MEETING: This will be the first meeting between the sides in 2019, with the last matchup being a 3-0 win for the Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park on Sept. 23, 2018. The Galaxy jumped on the board early in that contest, courtesy of a 10th-minute penalty kick goal from star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Ola Kamara and Emmanuel Boateng also netted in the contest to pace the hosts.
RETURNING REGULARS: The Sounders have been struggling coming into the contest (see the form guide) but they’ve also been extremely banged up. Winger Víctor Rodríguez has been out, as has left back Brad Smith, right back Kelvin Leerdam and defensive midfielder Gustav Svensson. Raúl Ruidíaz recently returned after missing two games with a concussion. You get the idea, but with Rodríguez on the mend and Svensson and Leerdam also working their way back into the fold, the hope is for Seattle’s XI to be close to something resembling full strength on Saturday.
ZLATAN SHOW: The Galaxy have a semi-notable striker who joined their team last season and has scored quite a few goals in his professional career. Can anyone remember his name? Anyway, it’s a player to keep an eye on that the Sounders back line will likely have to deal with in the match.
ROAD GRINDING: The match is the second of three straight road games for Seattle, as the team played at Salt Lake on Wednesday and will travel to Portland next Friday. Factor in a Sept. 7 trip to Colorado to take on the Rapids, and Seattle have four of its next five matches away from home.
FAMILIAR FOE: The teams haven’t played yet this season, but now they’re set to meet twice in short order. With Seattle heading to Carson for this matchup, the Galaxy will head to CenturyLink Field for the follow-up bout between the sides on Sept. 1
BACK ON TRACK: The injuries have certainly played a part, but the Sounders could really use a good win just to get the good vibes back going. Three points on the road against the Galaxy and mighty Zlatan would go a long way in achieving that objective.
WILD, WILD WEST: All the results from here on out are even more important given the ridiculous logjam that has taken hold of the Western Conference. Supporters’ Shield-leading LAFC reside comfortably on top, with the rest of the teams above the playoff line in the West separated by just four points. It should make for a wild stretch run of the season.
