Following three powerful performances in Phase One of Leagues Cup 2025, the Seattle Sounders transition back to MLS regular season competition where they will face LA Galaxy on Sunday at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif.
The last time the two teams went head-to-head was on Nov. 30, in the 2024 Western Conference Finals. The Southern California side solidified the regional trophy off an 85th minute goal from Dejan Joveljić before securing the MLS Cup in the championship match against the New York Red Bulls.
Fast forward to today, the Sounders and Galaxy are set to battle it out under different circumstances. Galaxy have struggled to compete so far this MLS regular season with just three wins to show for out of 25 matches played. The team currently sits in last (15th) place of the Western Conference with only 16 points versus the Sounders’ 38.
Conversely, the Sounders rank as one of the top clubs in the West. Since their final Club World Cup appearance on June 23, the team has gone unbeaten in nine consecutive fixtures, including their recent Leagues Cup wins over Cruz Azul, Santos Laguna, and Club Tijuana.
“[The Club World Cup] started this wave of just [paying attention to] every detail, every little thing, it gave them confidence when they didn't get blown out by PSG, and you know that confidence started to kick in,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “[It] has been a significant milestone for this club, not just in the notoriety and the publicity and the accolades that we receive for actually getting into the tournament, but it's actually helping this group perform better.”
It has been a collaborative effort across the Sounders’ deep roster that has allowed them to reach this recent run of form. In the last three matches alone, eight different players scored goals for the Rave Green, while seven players provided assists.
“I feel like the Club World Cup put us in a scenario where we were playing some really good teams, and it made us raise our standard to a really high level,” said forward Danny Musovski. “And I feel like now, we're seeing that [come into] play against teams that maybe aren't at those Club World Cup levels, to be able to produce on offense like we've been doing.”
Sunday’s match-up against the Sounders’ Western Conference foes is expected to be challenging nonetheless. Despite Galaxy’s lackluster results in 2025 regular season competition, the team has shown promise in their recent Leagues Cup performances, ultimately pushing them to the tournament’s quarterfinals. Similar to the Sounders, the team racked up a handful of goals in their Phase One matches, defeating Club Tijuana 5-2, tying Cruz Azul 1-1 and shutting out Santos Laguna 4-0.
“[Galaxy is a] dangerous team, because they're starting to play better,” said Schmetzer. “Greg [Vanney] is a good coach. He's figuring it out. I knew he was going to figure it out at some point. But this League's Cup run has made them better.”
