What You’ll Watch

The Seattle Sounders will look to do something that they have not had to do in almost three months, bounce back from a defeat. The Sounders will travel to Carson, CA to take on the LA Galaxy this Sunday. This is the final regular season meeting between the two clubs. Seattle defeated the Galaxy 5-0 last time they faced each other.

LA currently sits in eighth place of the Western Conference standings with a record of 10-11-8 (38 points in 29 games played; 1.31 ppg) and the Sounders remain sixth place with a record of 13-10-5 (44 points in 28 games played; 1.57 ppg). Seattle is coming off a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to the Union this past Wednesday and LA is coming off a 5-3 loss to Toronto FC this past weekend.

A Look at the Enemy

Last Five: D-L-D-L-L with eight goals scored and 19 conceded

Leading Goal Scorer: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 17 goals

Assist Leader: Ashley Cole and Ibrahimovic, eight each

Injury Report, Suspensions and International Duty

Los Angeles

Out: N/A

Questionable: N/A

Suspensions: N/A

International Duty: N/A

Seattle

Out: Jordan Morris (torn ACL), Felix Chenkam (herniated disc), Harry Shipp (right hamstring strain) and Henry Wingo (concussion)

Questionable: Chad Marshall (head injury), Lamar Neagle (left midfoot sprain) and Raul Ruidíaz (right ankle sprain)

Suspensions: N/A

International Duty: N/A

Match Officials

REFEREE: Juan Carlos Rivero

AR1: Cameron Blanchard

AR2: Mike Rottersman

4th: Armando Villarreal

VAR: Edvin Jurisevic

What to Watch

LA’s System

With just one match under their belt since putting Dominic Kinnear as the next coach to get fired, the Galaxy’s system is impossible to describe. They aren’t going to be a typical Dom team, as they don’t have the talent in the spaces where he needs it (defensive midfield and the back four). They also aren’t designed to be like Kinnear’s San Jose teams because the quality in the attack is so much greater than Wondo/Gordon/Lenhart.

Under Kinnear, like most of the time under Sigi, LA will use some kind of system that focuses on letting Zlatan zlatan while the other forwards are forced into roles as attacking midfielders or fullbacks. The quality attacking mids will have to be something like defensive mids and the defensive mids will be on the bench so that Jonathon dos Santos can be on the field doing whatever it is he does (he’s nominally an 8).

Where LAFC and the Union make this thing work, the Galaxy have managed to destroy their defensive abilities and get to enjoy losing games by scores of 5-3 and 6-2.

Quick Keys

Take advantage of the poor defense. LA doesn’t move well laterally, vertically or communicate. In their past two games they’ve given up 11 goals. Schmetzer should not be conservative in this one.

Shadow Zlatan. Have Alonso or Delem shade Zlatan. He can score from anywhere on the pitch and needs to be under watchful eye.

Patient possession after a lead. The Galaxy will cede territory and are poor at defending shots from distance, defending crossing spaces, and defending the interior. Seattle’s patient possession should excel against a team that has no idea how to defend.

How to Watch

Date/Time: Sunday, September 23 @ 4:00 PM

Location: StubHub Center — Carson, California

TV: FOX Sports One

Streaming: YouTube TV

Radio: 950 KJR AM (English), El Rey 1360AM (Spanish)