The Seattle Sounders are visiting LA Galaxy on Saturday in their first matchup of the season. Here is everything you need to know:
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 4:30 p.m. PT at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson (Los Angeles), Calif.
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be available on FOX and you can watch free on the Apple TV app.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The match will air on iHeart Radio and in Spanish on El Rey 1360AM.
2023 RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Sounders: 3-1-1 (10 points, 2nd West), LA: 0-3-1 (3 points, 12th West)
PREVIOUS MEETING: The Sounders tied LA Galaxy 3-3 at Dignity Health Sports Park on Aug. 19, 2022. The Rave Green fought back after being down two goals in the first half, took the lead to make it 3-2 in the second half, but left Los Angeles in a draw after Galaxy equalized it in the second minute of stoppage time.
NEXT MAN UP: While the Sounders were without six players last Saturday — including three starters — the team showed how deep their bench is after taking home a massive away victory against Sporting Kansas City with a score of 4-1. Players like Léo Chú stepped up and made an immediate impact. The Brazilian winger tallied four assists last game, making him the first player in club history to do so.
HEBER RETURNS?: After suffering a hamstring strain a few weeks ago, new forward Héber is back in full training in ahead of this weekend’s matchup against LA Galaxy. Héber served as an important attacking asset early in the season, recording two goals in the team’s first two games.
REINFORCEMENTS: After such a dominant victory away from home against a Western Conference rival in SKC, it seems odd to say that the Sounders could be even stronger this weekend. The squad will welcome back key contributors like Raúl Ruidíaz, Alex Roldan and Nouhou, providing Head Coach Brian Schmetzer a few more game-changers for another road test.
MERCER ISLAND MAGICIAN: After scoring a whopping four goals last weekend against Sporting Kansas City, Jordan Morris’ odds of increasing his lead atop the Golden Boot standings this Saturday is looking favorable. It’s even more likely due to his attacking dominance against LA Galaxy in years past. Of 13 games, Morris has recorded seven goals against LA, with five of them coming at Dignity Health Sports Park.
SLOW START: LA Galaxy currently sit in the 12th spot of MLS standings with only three points after four games. While the team tallied points from their three ties, the LA squad remains winless heading into this weekend’s matchup against the Sounders.
CONSTANT CLASH: Despite LA Galaxy off to a slow start this season, matchups between Seattle and LA have always been back-and-forth battles. The all-time record lines up evenly between the two teams with a total of 15 wins a piece and 13 draws.
FAMILIAR FACE: Following the departure of Julian Araujo to FC Barcelona, former Sounders right back Kelvin Leerdam has stepped into the starting role for the Galaxy in 2023. Leerdam, who scored the opening goal in Seattle's 3-1 win over Toronto FC in 2019 MLS Cup, has a goal and an assist in his three starts for LA this season.
