The Seattle Sounders couldn’t quite pull off their third straight victory at the StubHub Center on Saturday as they battled the LA Galaxy to a scoreless draw in Carson, Calif.
The Sounders came into the match having won in dominant fashion in their previous two trips to StubHub, including a 4-2 victory last September and a 3-0 result on April 23.
LA defender Jelle Van Damme was shown a second yellow card in the 86th minute of the contest for a late challenge on Seattle midfielder Nicolás Lodeiro, affording the Sounders a one-man advantage for the final few minutes of the game. The Rave Green couldn’t capitalize, though, and were forced to settle for the draw.
THREE TAKEAWAYS
A familiar face
Saturday’s match pitted the Sounders against former head coach Sigi Schmid as an opponent for the first time since the Galaxy announced they had rehired Schmid as their sideline boss on Thursday. Schmid previously coached the Galaxy from 1999-2004 and coached Seattle from 2009-16.
JMo and Deuce return
The Sounders may not have gotten all three points on Saturday, but they did see the return of their star pair of U.S. internationals, as Clint Dempsey and Jordan Morris were each featured in Seattle’s matchday roster. Dempsey played all 90 minutes and Morris entered as a second-half substitute. The club did play without injured midfielder Osvaldo Alonso for a third straight game, but the return of Dempsey, Morris and fellow USMNTer Cristian Roldan has helped shore up some depth in the meantime.
Road warriors
After a brief but successful two-game homestand that saw them bag victories over D.C. United and the San Jose Earthquakes, Saturday’s match was the first of two straight road matchups for the Sounders. With the point in hand leaving Carson, the Sounders now have to contend with expansion side Minnesota United. The Loons are 10th in the Western Conference, but they do have a 6-5-2 home record and will surely be feeling good following their 4-0 thrashing of D.C. United on Saturday.
