The Seattle Sounders square off against the LA Galaxy in the second full bowl match of the season. Here’s a breakdown of everything you need to know about the game.
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is Sunday at 1:00 p.m. PT at CenturyLink Field.
WHERE TO WATCH: The game will be telecast on ESPN. Full list of Sounders FC Pub Partners here.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The game will air on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM with a pregame show beginning at 12:30 p.m. PT, and also on El Rey 1360AM in Spanish.
RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Sounders (6-12-2, 20 pts., 9th in Western Conference), Galaxy (9-3-8, 35 pts., 3rd in Western Conference).
ALL-TIME HISTORY: The LA Galaxy are one of the few teams in MLS that the Sounders don’t have a winning record against. At 4-9-6, the Galaxy have been a thorn in the side of the Rave Green since they entered the league in 2009. Furthermore, the Galaxy are currently on a six-game unbeaten run and are 3-0-2 against Cascadia teams this season.
THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM: Sunday marks the third time this month that the Sounders will meet the Galaxy. LA earned a 1-0 victory at CenturyLink Field on July 9 despite a season-high shot count for the Sounders. LA also claimed victory in California in the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open Cup, scoring three goals in the last 15 minutes to topple the Sounders.
TO THE BRIM: Sunday also marks the second match in the full bowl stadium series of 2016. With attendance reaching 48,000 in last month’s full bowl match against New York City FC, this match offers an opportunity to get those numbers even higher before Portland comes to town on Aug. 21.
THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES: The Sounders added another tally to the loss column on Sunday falling 3-0 to Sporting Kansas City. The Sounders head into Sunday’s match with a league-high and franchise-record five losses at home this season, and the league’s second-fewest goals scored at 20. With one win in the last seven matches, time is quickly running out on the Sounders’ playoff hopes.
INJURY UPDATE: Forward Aaron Kovar (fractured clavicle) and defender Román Torres (ACL) will continue to sit out on Sunday. On the other side, the Galaxy have a few injuries of their own, missing defenders Robbie Rogers (ankle) and Ashley Cole (hamstring). Midfielder Steven Gerrard is also present on the injury report having sat out last weekend’s match at Portland with an undisclosed injury. His status for Sunday is unclear.
ALL-STARS’ BREAK: Five players will come into this match on short rest due to MLS All-Star festivities mid-week. From Seattle, forward Clint Dempsey will play in the All-Star game on Thursday and forward Jordan Morris will play in the Chipotle Homegrown game on Wednesday. From LA, Giovani Dos Santos will play in the All-Star game on Thursday, while Jack McBean and Raul Mendiola will play in the Homegrown game on Wednesday.
ROBBIE KEEN IN SEATTLE: It’s no secret that forward Robbie Keane has a knack for scoring on the Sounders. In 10 career regular-season matches against Seattle, Keane has seven goals and three assists, second only to San Jose’s Chris Wondolowski (9). Keane also recorded the lone goal against the Sounders when LA came to town on July 9. Not only that, but Keane has three goals in four games since returning from the Euros in early July and the Galaxy are 6-0-0 when he scores. Stopping Keane will be paramount for the Sounders if they are to come out on top on Sunday.
