There will be no love lost when the Seattle Sounders head to Los Angeles to take on LAFC on Saturday (3 p.m. PT; ESPN, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM) at Banc of California Stadium. Head Coach Brian Schmetzer and the Sounders have knocked the Black and Gold out of the postseason in each of the last two seasons, and it’s created a bit of acrimony between the two sides.
“Whenever you face a team in the playoffs a lot, it naturally turns it up a little bit,” said Sounders forward Will Bruin. “That’s been the case with LAFC and us. It’s always a battle against them. They’re a very well-coached team, they play a very specific style, they high press. We know what to expect.
“When you play teams that are competitive like that a lot, it creates a rivalry,” he added. “There’s some animosity between the two groups, and it’ll be a fun game.”
Seattle and LAFC enter the second week of the 2021 campaign atop the Western Conference after each posting shutout wins last week. The Sounders earned a convincing 4-0 win over Minnesota United, while LAFC defeated MLS newcomers Austin FC 2-0.
There may not be as much firepower on the field as expected, however. Schmetzer admitted on Thursday that he isn’t optimistic that captain Nicolás Lodeiro, who missed the opening week with a left quad strain, would make the trip. LAFC Head Coach Bob Bradley may be without one or more of his best players, as 2019 MLS MVP Carlos Vela and 2020 MLS Golden Boot winner Diego Rossi are questionable with injuries.
But the Sounders do, however, still have Raúl Ruidíaz. The Peruvian forward has five goals in four career matches against LAFC in all competitions, and he enters this matchup after a fantastic start to the season, recording a brace against Minnesota.
“Raúl scores goals,” said Bruin. “That’s what he does. He likes the big stage, the big games. Going into L.A., a nationally televised game, I’m sure he’s going to be up for it. You can never turn off against him because he can score just like that. He comes alive in the final third and in the box. He’s somebody who’s always a threat, and you love playing alongside somebody like that because defenders have to know where he’s at at all times, so it frees up some more space for me. And vice versa, I free up a little more space for him too.”
Bruin set up Ruidíaz for his first goal last week, a promising sign to their partnership in Schmetzer’s 3-5-2 formation, and something of which Bradley is keenly aware.
“[Ruidíaz], for whatever reason, is always sharp and comes to play against us, he’s a good player,” Bradley said. “What makes him good is his alertness, his awareness, his sharpness for where the ball is going to come, how make a little space for himself…So if you lose the attention even for a split second, he finds a moment to take advantage.”
Though it’s still very early in the season, there are valuable points on the line and a chance to prove oneself against some of the best opposition the league has to offer.
“I’d love to get three points against LAFC,” said Schmetzer. “I’d love to get three points against anybody — Portland, Vancouver, RSL — early in the year because you never know when your team is going to take a dip in form or luck doesn’t go your way. You’re going to need those points at the end of the year. There’s no statements being put out now, we’re still just focused on how to make sure that our team plays up to the standards that we try and play to.”
