The Seattle Sounders hope to keep their undefeated season alive when they host Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer action on Sunday at Lumen Field.
In their opening five games, Seattle have shown they are still among the elite teams, winning three in a row, while The Black and Gold are off to their worst start since joining the league in 2018, having earned five points in their opening four fixtures.
Match preview
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Heading into their 13th season in MLS, there were plenty of questions about how Seattle would fare defensively after losing veteran midfielder Gustav Svensson, along with two experienced defenders in Kelvin Leerdam and Joevin Jones.
So far, all of those questions have been answered as Kelyn Rowe has made an impact defensively, while the back three of Yeimar Gomez, Shane O'Neill and Nouhou Tolo have been solid as ever, conceding just once in their last three games.
This team continues to thrive despite all of that, which speaks volumes about the kind of depth this team has and the mentality manager Brian Schmetzer has instilled in his squad.
Not many teams can lose the talent that Seattle lost in the off-season and still be successful, which shows this team is as hungry as ever to capture another MLS Cup.
Despite having less than 50% of the possession over their past four games, it has not impacted their play or their ability to create chances and score, as they lead the league with 11 goals and have yet to concede from open play this season.
They have been at their best when playing at home, winning both of their encounters this season by an aggregate score of 7-0 and conceding only seven total shots on target over that span.
Defeating a vastly improved, and offensively potent San Jose Earthquakes team in midweek is another feather in their cap in the early stages of this campaign.
The have been on a mission all season with one goal in mind, to get back to the MLS Cup final, where they lost 3-0 to Columbus in 2020.
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After winning their opening game of this campaign, Bob Bradley has seen his side struggle, squandering back-to-back 1-0 leads and narrowly losing to the LA Galaxy.
This team led the league in goals in 2020, but despite finding the back of the net in every match so far, they are not doing enough up front to trouble opposing defences and win games.
If they are to snap their current three-game winless streak, Bradley knows they need to make their opportunities count against a Sounders side that have conceded only two goals through their first five games.
LA have had their share of chances during their winless run but they have rarely capitalised on those opportunities, firing 36 shots over their last three games but finding the back of the net on only three occasions.
Few teams over the past few seasons can boast a winning record against the Sounders, but LAFC are one of those squads, winning four times and losing only twice in their eight meetings to date.
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Team News
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Striker Raul Ruidiaz has started this season brightly with five goals so far to lead the Sounders, while newcomer Fredy Montero has been a spark with two goals off the bench, including the winner last weekend against the Timbers.
Goalkeeper Stefan Frei continues to thrive in Seattle, collecting two clean sheets so far this season and reaching 1,000 saves for his MLS career last weekend.
LAFC have missed the presence of Carlos Vela, who played just over 20 minutes in their opening match and could miss a fourth straight game with a hamstring problem.
Erik Duenas has an ankle injury, and Mohamed Traore has yet to fully recover from a knee injury that has kept him off the field all season.
Seattle Sounders possible starting lineup:
Frei; Tolo, O'Neill, Gomez; Smith, Rowe, Leyva, A. Roldan; C. Roldan; Bruin, Ruidiaz
Los Angeles FC possible starting lineup:
Sisniega; Palacios, Segura, Murillo, Blackmon; Kaye, Atuesta, Blessing; Opoku, Rossi, Baird
We say: Seattle Sounders 2-1 Los Angeles FC
The Sounders are the best side offensively and defensively in the league right now, and they can beat you in a variety of different ways, including at home, where they have won their last six matches dating back to last season if you include their three playoff wins.
With Carlos Vela lost to injury and Bradley Wright-Phillips signing with Columbus in the off-season, LA have struggled to create many quality chances.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Seattle Sounders win with a probability of 51.31%. A win for Los Angeles FC had a probability of 26.05% and a draw had a probability of 22.6%.
The most likely scoreline for a Seattle Sounders win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.61%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (8.12%) and 2-0 (7.57%). The likeliest Los Angeles FC win was 1-2 (6.55%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (10.31%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 7.6% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Seattle Sounders would win this match.
