LA Galaxy revived their playoff push with a strong victory over the New England Revolution last Saturday, but that momentum quickly dissipated when they were crushed 3-0 by the dominant Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday night.
With new arrivals Sergi Roberto, Kyogo Furuhashi and Robert Taylor making an impact vs the Revs, they’ll be eager to build on that display and forget their recent thrashing when they face fellow playoff contenders Seattle Sounders.
“Each of these players has experience, has a high level of field and game awareness, that nuance. I feel like that gives you the best chance to try to get this thing rolling as quickly as possible,” LA Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said.
“There’s a lot of opportunity to grow within the group as the group continues to get a feel for each other and a feel for the rhythm that we want to be at to be most successful. It’s really tight in the West. You’ve just got to get a little bit on a run.”
Winless in 11 games, Brian Schmetzer’s men will be determined to go on a run of their own after three consecutive draws, where there have been many positives to extract.
They won’t have it all their own way vs. the LA Galaxy, however, for they possess plenty of quality and a multitude of methods to hurt any adversary.
With Vanney’s team set to morph between a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-3-3, depending on the positioning of Marco Reus, this attacking framework has worked when it clicks, which has, in truth, been easier said than done for Vanney this season.
Boasting one of the elite central midfielders in freshly signed former Barcelona and Como maestro Roberto, he’s already given them crucial control and class in the heart of the pitch to dictate proceedings.
Expect him to persistently drop between or to the side of the central defenders to give them a 3v2 overload against the first line of pressure and to stretch them.
Astute at scanning his surroundings to boot, the below example demonstrates his nous to get free and be the spare man, as his scans ensure he can receive and immediately carry upfield.
Allowing the Galaxy centerbacks to split wide, this posed some conundrums to the Revs, who play a similar 4–4–2 defensive structure to the Sounders, in terms of whether the winger should press the nearby central defender or stay with the fullback.
Both options were exploited by the Galaxy. If the winger stayed with the fullback, the center back could drive forward into space and gain territory. If the winger stepped out to press the center half, the fullback could subsequently surge ahead and create a 2v1 with a Galaxy winger against a Revs fullback.
Any time the likes of Hirving Lozano, Joseph Paintsil, or Taylor are in a numerical superiority isn’t ideal, and Seattle will want to avoid this happening by getting their coordination, timing, and spacing spot on.
Another strategy they implement to play to the strengths of their wingers is when they populate one side of the pitch before rapidly switching to the opposite flank so the far-side winger can be one-on-one. These situations especially suit Paintsil and Lozano, for they love using their speed and skill in time and space to wreak havoc on opponents.
To continue on the theme of the nominal wingers, Taylor edging infield to get dangerous between the lines and in the half spaces has been a handy weapon. He was excellent at this vs. the Revs, where he smartly formed overloads and was awake to passing lanes opening to animate attacks.
Taylor’s influence didn’t stop there, for he served as a terrific outlet when the Galaxy went long to bypass the press. Holding his own in these instances, he was vital to competing aerially and helping his team win second balls high up so they could attack again from advanced zones.
Also instrumental is how his colleagues get in close proximity, which enhances their chances of making regains.
Jordan Morris and Dejan Joveljić will serve as fine targets in similar cases, as the Sounders have the profiles to make this approach effective. Against Red Bull New York, Morris often moved inside from a wide position to provide a target for direct passes out of defense, enabling Seattle to win flick-ons and second balls higher up.
The chance below originated from that exact pattern, and the Sounders will be hoping for the same payoff this weekend. Seattle will also fancy their chances down this avenue given the Galaxy own the second-worst aerial duel success rate in MLS at just 41.1%, making them vulnerable in such scenarios.
Morris edging infield and acting as a target for long balls out from the back can work well for the Sounders, like here, where he drifts inside, wins the knockdown and then gets the return pass to create a chance. Rusnak's positioning was top in case the 2nd ball fell his way too.
— edwardstratmann.bsky.social (@edwardstratmann.bsky.social) September 7, 2026 at 6:01 PM
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Reus’ space-invading warrants mention too. Granted license to roam, drop deep, wider, and even attack depth, the German dynamo’s intelligent movement knits passages together neatly. Alert to vacant areas, and when weaknesses arise in opposition shapes, it’s a joy to watch him find openings to breathe life into attacks.
Linking play coherently, rotating shrewdly with teammates, creating chances, and firing off shots himself as well, there’s been much to like about what Reus brings to the table even though the 37-year-old is not the force he once was.
The Galaxy’s threat on the counter can’t be ignored either, as Kyogo especially injects coveted verticality and directness into their offensive armoury. Blessed with scintillating pace and a master at timing and angling his runs, the Sounders will need to be wary of his menace in behind.
Particularly pivotal will be how they stop him attacking the spaces behind the onrushing fullbacks in transition, as he’s a nuisance in these wide zones and loves getting at backpedaling defenders with their back to goal.
Given he likes to stay high when the Galaxy are defending, the Rave Green center backs will need to be attentive once possession is lost to monitor him or jump swiftly to get touch-tight to prevent him gaining momentum or separation. The consequences could be lethal if they don’t contain the former Celtic star.
Turning to their defensive exertions, LA can often be quite passive and leave room between their midfield and defense, which the Sounders will back themselves to exploit.
Seeing as the Galaxy rank fifth lowest in MLS for passes per defensive action — a metric that suggests they are not an aggressive high-pressing side — this aligns with their frequent preference to sit deeper and strike on the counter. It should also allow the Sounders plenty of possession, which will afford them opportunities to patiently orchestrate attacking sequences.
The likes of Carles Gil and Dor Turgeman took advantage of their passivity and the gaps between players that tended to emerge to get dangerous in key central zones when they dropped deep.
Such situations will be welcome news for Albert Rusnák.
Additionally, the Revs made headway courtesy of their shrewd rotations on the wings. Especially damaging on the right, when Gil, Jack Harrison, and Matt Polster constantly exchanged positions, this was a crafty source of space creation to manipulate the LA Galaxy to ensure progression into the final third.
Seattle can definitely replicate this, particularly with Nouhou having success vs. RBNY when he inverted to form 3v2 overloads to help them get up the pitch, and when Kalani Kossa-Rienzi switched positions with Morris to attack the channels and space in behind. This can supplement any overlapping runs nicely and give Schmetzer’s side some variety and pose questions of marking assignments for opponents.
Any promising approach play will mean nothing if the Sounders can’t finish their chances, though, for this has been a major issue. This is emphatically illustrated by the fact they’ve underperformed their xG by a whopping 14.51, according to Wyscout’s data.
With points at a premium entering the final stretch in the race for the playoffs, and with an LA side that has won just two of its last eight facing a Sounders outfit without a victory in 11 matches, this looms as a colossal contest for both teams as they look to keep their postseason hopes alive.
All statistics sourced from Wyscout
