Brad Evans to be a “game-time decision” against the Galaxy

Fresh off the boost of a friendly win against West Ham United in midweek, the Sounders will hope to carry that form into their matchup with LA Galaxy at CenturyLink Field on Saturday. The home side desperately need a win if they hope to be playoff contenders in 2016, and three points against a big rival like the Galaxy could really boost the team's confidence. Seattle is going into this match at nearly full strength, with the only question mark being captain Brad Evans, who is still recovering from a calf strain that made him a late scratch against Toronto FC last weekend. Schmid said on Friday that Evans is "very, very close" and that the captain will be a "game-time decision" on Saturday.

As for the rest of the squad, Schmid painted a very positive picture of his team headed into Saturday’s clash. Jordan Morris, who seemed to have come off late in the friendly against West Ham United with a mild injury, is totally healthy according to Schmid. He also noted that Chad Marshall, who came off last weekend against Toronto FC, has cleared concussion protocol and is expected to play.

Regarding Clint Dempsey, Schmid said that he thinks the player "feels good" after being rested against Toronto following a grueling Copa America campaign in June. Schmid said that the staff, specifically head of sport science Dave Tenney, "decided not to push early on so we sort of went with a timetable that made sense for Clint and for our physical science people."

Much has been made of the rivalry between Seattle Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid and LA Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena, even if it’s not an ideal comparison. Schmid made it clear on Friday how he feels going into matches against the Galaxy: "obviously any time you play a game like this you’re excited and looking forward to it."

But the niceties stopped there, as Schmid made clear what he expects from the Galaxy: "I always feel when I’m playing against Bruce’s teams, they’re gonna have enough quality to get some chances, but they also play in a manner that allows you to get some chances." The Sounders coach doesn’t always deal in backhanded compliments like that, so there are clearly some mind games at work here. When asked about the Galaxy’s stout defense this season, Schmid pointed to the experienced players brought in this season, like Jeff Larentowicz, Jelle Van Damme, and Ashley Cole, "who sort of cheat at the right times, and that helps them with their counterattack."