The Seattle Sounders are taking on the LA Galaxy on Saturday (12:55 p.m. PT; FOX, FOX Deportes, 1090 KJR AM | TICKETS) in a massive early season clash at Lumen Field. Here are three matchups to watch:
Jordan Morris vs. Julián Araujo
Morris had his best match on Tuesday vs. Liga MX’s Club León since his return from his ACL injury late last season. He was incisive in the final third, constantly stretched the back line and was finally rewarded with a goal in the 90th minute. He’ll need to do much of the same on the Sounders’ attacking left flank against Araujo. Morris and Araujo were briefly international teammates when the latter made his debut for the United States national team in 2020 before changing his allegiance to rival Mexico last year. The 20-year-old is one of the best attacking fullbacks in MLS, and Morris will need to make sure he spends most of the match defending.
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Nouhou vs. Douglas Costa
Nouhou shut down one of the best players on the planet in Egypt’s Mo Salah last month while shining with Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations. He’ll have another high-profile name to defend in Douglas Costa, the talented Brazilian in his first season in Los Angeles after spending much of his career playing at the likes of Bayern Munich and Juventus. Nouhou has the pace to keep up with any player in MLS, including the speedy Costa, and shutting him down will be a major priority so he can’t play balls into…
Yeimar and Xavier Arreaga vs. Chicharito
At his best, Javier “Chicharito” Hernández is as good a striker as there is in MLS. Mexico’s all-time leading scorer tabbed the opener in Seattle last year and has already found the back of the net this season. It’ll be up to both starting center backs to keep him in check and off the score sheet. Chicharito makes constant, clever runs in the box, so Yeimar and Arreaga will need to work in tandem to ensure he stays quiet. If they do that, there’s a good chance Seattle can earn its fourth clean sheet in six matches in all competitions to start 2022.
