The Seattle Sounders have an opportunity to extend their home winning streak to three straight games domestically when they host the top team in MLS, Los Angeles FC, on Saturday at Lumen Field.
On Tuesday, The Rave Green moved into a playoff position thanks to an emphatic 4-0 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps, while LA won a see-saw encounter with the San Jose Earthquakes 3-2 at the end of May.
Match preview
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Whenever times have been tough in Seattle, which is not often, they can always count on the Vancouver Whitecaps to lift their spirits, and that was the case on Tuesday as the Sounders extended their unbeaten run against them to 15 straight matches, dating back to 2017.
While not as impressive as that, the Rave Green have a solid track record when welcoming the Black and Gold to the Emerald City, losing only one of their five home games against them, outscoring LA over that span by a margin of 9-3.
Brian Schmetzer has seen his side come alive lately, winning four of their previous five matches and producing a clean sheet in two of their last four encounters.
For years this has been one of the top programs in the entire league, capable of overcoming any kind of adversity, and their resilience has started to shine through after a demanding schedule with the CONCACAF Champions League, plus a slew of injuries at the start of this campaign.
Over the past couple of games, we have seen the Sounders' potency in the attacking third come out, scoring on four of their eight efforts on goal versus the Caps after netting on two of their three shots on target in a 2-1 win over Charlotte FC.
Half of their victories in this MLS season have been come from behind triumphs, conceding first in three of their last five encounters, yet winning twice.
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The international break in LA was used for Steve Cherundolo to work on some tactical adjustments, particularly on the backline, as they have conceded multiple goals on four occasions away from home in 2022.
Limiting big chances will be a big focus for them in the upcoming weeks, an area that they hope will be addressed with the signing of veteran centre-back Giorgio Chiellini.
The big Italian is littered with accolades, capturing nine Scudetto trophies at Juventus and helping the Azzurri triumph at the Euros last summer, and LA hope that his championship pedigree can be the missing ingredient as they seek their first MLS Cup.
Cherundolo has managed to get the most out of his players through much of the campaign thus far, though they have struggled to start well on the road, conceding seven first-half goals in their last five league matches away from home.
Their approach is not all that different from what we saw a year ago, but some new faces have made them a much tougher side to get through in transition.
Los Angeles have 13 different players with at least one tally domestically this year, and that kind of depth has proven invaluable for a side who, in past years, relied heavily on one or two players to score.
LAFC lead the league in goals with 29, failing to score in only one domestic fixture to date, while also posting two clean sheets away from home.
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Team News
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Raul Ruidiaz is tied with Fredy Montero for most MLS regular-season goals with Seattle (55), notching a brace on Tuesday, while Alex Roldan picked up his first of the season in that encounter and Danny Leyva made his league debut.
Joao Paulo continues to miss time with a right ACL tear, Yeimar Gomez Andrade has a right hamstring strain and Stefan Cleveland will be out due to a facial laceration.
Captain Nicolas Lodeiro bagged his third of the campaign in their previous encounter, converting from the penalty spot, while Schmetzer inserted five new players into the starting 11 on Tuesday as Jackson Ragen, Kelyn Rowe, Jimmy Medranda, Montero and Leo Chu replaced Albert Rusnak, Cristian Roldan, Jordan Morris, Andrade and Nouhou Tolo.
Ryan Hollingshead has been an unexpected contributor from the back for LAFC, notching his fourth of the campaign in their previous fixture, while Cristian Arango picked up goal number three and Brian Rodriguez fired home the winner versus the Quakes, his second of the domestic campaign.
Their leading goalscorer Carlos Vela is questionable with a left thigh issue, Franco Escobar has a left calf strain and Ismael Tajouri-Shradi is dealing with a problem in his left quad.
Diego Palacios is nursing a head injury, Julian Gaines has a sore pelvis and Erik Duenas will be sidelined due to an injured knee.
Jose Cifuentes has been one of their top playmakers with three assists, while Jesus Murillo has chipped in with a pair of helpers.
Seattle Sounders possible starting lineup:
Frei; A. Roldan, Andrade, Arreaga, Tolo; Vargas, Rusnak; C. Roldan, Lodeiro, Morris; Ruidiaz
Los Angeles FC possible starting lineup:
Crepeau; Palacios, Ibeagha, Murillo, Hollingshead; Sanchez, Cifuentes, Acosta; Rodriguez, Arango, Opoku
We say: Seattle Sounders 2-1 Los Angeles FC
The Rave Green are brimming with confidence following their victory on Tuesday, and when this team are in a groove, it is terrible news for the rest of the league.
As potent as LAFC can be, the Sounders have handled them well at home, conceding a goal or fewer in every one of their visits to the Pacific Northwest.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
