Every season, there are one or two opportunities to lay a stake in the ground. There are certain matches that are clear demarcations of where a team is and where it might be headed.
The Seattle Sounders’ home match against LAFC on Saturday (7:30 p.m. PT; Watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, 93.3 KJR FM, El Rey 1360AM | TICKETS) is exactly that.
The Sounders enter the weekend in as good a form as they’ve had in years, winners of six straight matches in all competitions and having lost just twice in their last 18. Jordan Morris is scoring at a career pace, Pedro de la Vega is back healthy, Albert Rusnák is playing the No. 10 at an elite level, Stefan Frei is moving up the all-time MLS clean sheets table. The list goes on.
LAFC, meanwhile, are the defending Western Conference champions, having knocked out the Sounders in last year’s conference semifinals. They currently lead the West in Points Per Game, boast the reigning MLS MVP runner-up in Denis Bouanga and for the first time on Saturday will have the services of legendary French forward Olivier Giroud, who joins the Black and Gold from Italian giants AC Milan.
“Saturday is such a big game against LAFC,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “Everybody needs to come out and show out…This is a massive game for us.”
A win this weekend would run Seattle’s MLS win streak to six games and sixth straight at home after a tidy 2-0 victory over St. Louis CITY SC on Wednesday.
“It’s going to be a quick turnaround, so we need to take care of business in terms of getting our bodies right, a good recovery, fueling up,” said Frei. “It’ll be a difficult match, but we’re confident.”
The Sounders could also push themselves to 40 points and potentially jump into the top four of the Western Conference playoff seeding. A win would shrink the gap between them and LAFC to four points, while a loss in this six-pointer would further separate Seattle from the top trio in LAFC, the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake.
The opportunity is there for the taking. LAFC comes into Lumen Field licking its wounds a bit after a 1-1 home draw with RSL midweek and a humbling 5-1 demolition at BMO Stadium by Columbus Crew SC last week.
“We know exactly what they bring to the table,” said Frei. “They’re a very good side, but we welcome the challenge.”
Saturday will also be the final MLS match until Aug. 24, as teams prepare for the start of Leagues Cup. Schmetzer knows it’s going to take all 11 players on the pitch and a raucous crowd to grab a crucial three points before the league intermission.
“I hope to see all of my friends there,” said Schmetzer. “It’s a big game Saturday and I’m fired up…If we come out with a result on Saturday, we’re flying.”
