LOS ANGELES FC v. SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC

Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Green. Sounders FC travel to Figueroa Street to face perennial trophy contender and persistent thorn in our side, LAFC.

What: MLS league match, Los Angeles FC v. Seattle Sounders FC.

Where: Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, California.

When: 7:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, Wednesday 14 May 2025 CE.

At Stake: Points in the league. Sounders have fought their way up to 11th in the MLS league table. I remember us being as far down as 26th this season. So that’s not nothin’. Sounders are currently on 19 points, eight points adrift of leaders Vancouver. A Sounders victory probably, with a bit of help from other results, gets us in the top 10. Although it is extremely unlikely we would win the league, eight points adrift with the season not yet half over means that the window is open to the possibility of achieving that goal.

Where to Watch: MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.

Where to Listen: KJR 93.3 FM and El Rey 1360 AM.

To say that we intensely dislike LAFC would be a gross understatement. Part of that hostility derives from having a fairly shitty all-time record against them in the league. Those wounds are a bit less painful when you see our record in MLS Cup against them is 3-1-0 and decisively in our favour.

Never ye mind the numbers. It’s gonna be a wooly one.

If you’re heading down to LA, look after each other, and make sure your scarves are tied proper. If you remain behind in The Evergreen, link it up with your mates. At dwellings, at pubs, whatever you have to do short of crime provided you are able.

Sounders…LAFC…MLS league football under the lights at Figueroa Street. GO ON YOU SOUNDERS!!! GET IN!!!

Before kick-off, please join me in the auld toast: “TO THE SEATTLE SOUNDERS FOOTBALL CLUB…AND VICTORY!!!”

Albert hit a brace for us at Walker Street last Sat. Will he be in the team tonight,

and will he continue scoring goals at a torrid pace? (photo credit: youtube.com)

The Good News

Sounders are unbeaten in the last five league matches (4-1-0) and have only lost once in our last eight (4-3-1).

We have not been shut-out since we lost 3:0 on 5 April at San Diego.

Musovski has scored a goal in each of his last five matches. Sounders FC have scored 12 goals in the last five matches for an average of 2.40 goals/match.

We appear to be playing quite well, despite the loss of Arriola for the season, and missing Morris and Ragen due to injury as well.

The Bad News

The last time we met, on 8 March, LAFC were conserving many of their first choice players for a CONCACAF Champions Cup tie against Columbus set for three days hence. Although we prevailed 5:2, they didn’t bring in Marlon, Igor Jesus, and Hollingshead ’til the 37th minute, and  Bouanga and Martinez didn’t enter the match ’til the 59th and 65th minute respectively. We’ll mostly likely be facing the side that narrowly lost 2:1 at Columbus in the CONCACAF match mentioned above.

We have never won at Figueroa Street in the league. Our record in these matches is 0-1-7. LAFC’s home record this season is 7-1-1 in all competitions. All-time in the league vs. LAFC we have a record of 4-4-9. So that’s not great.

LAFC haven’t lost in the league since 5 April, recording victories against San Jose and Houston, and draws against Portland, St. Louis, and Vancouver.

It took Inter Miami to put LAFC out of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, and they only managed it by one goal on aggregate.

Bouanga scored 20 goals for LAFC last season. He has five this season. Morris and Rusnak scored 23 between the two of them last season. This season Musovski and Rusnak have five goals each. Are we in trouble? You tell me.

Sounders are less than 50% wins on the road this season with a record of 3-2-4. Granted we looked the part at Walker Street on Sat. Is a similar result likely against LAFC?

Over the last five matches, LAFC have scored 11 goals, averaging 2.20 goals/match.

We defend slightly better (0.14 less goals conceded/match) than LAFC. LAFC score slightly more goals (0.19 more goals/match). The numbers say it’s a crap-shoot.

LAFC were last shut out on 5 April at Houston.

With Portland away on Saturday, can we really afford to throw everything we have at LAFC midweek?

The Side I Would Select

We have a midweek fixture at LAFC and then Portland on Sat, which, including the Houston match last Sat, makes three matches in eight days. So it comes down to a simple question. Do you want to play all first-choice v. LAFC midweek, all first-choice against Portland on Sat, or half first-choice/half squad players for both games. Because there’s only a two-day turn-around between Wednesday and Saturday. Three days is required for proper muscle recovery, because science and the finite limitations of the human body. I’d go with our youngers and play this lot in the 4-2-3-1 shape barring any injuries that I might be unaware of:

GK     Thomas

LB     Baker-Whiting

LCH    Bell

RCH    Hawkins

RB     Kossa-Rienzi

LDM    Joao Paulo

RDM    Leyva

LF     Kent

CAM   Rusnak

RF     Minoungou

CF     De Rosario

The Side I Think The Gaffer Will Select

In situations like these, the Gaffer tends to use a bit of a timecard management system. He wants his best players in both the midweek and Saturday matches, but can’t play them all 90 minutes in both, no matter how much he’d like to. So it will be piecemeal and half-measures. 45 to 60 minutes in one game, perhaps 20-30 coming off the bench in the next, using squad players as sparingly as possible. Although this is one way to attempt to manage workload, I don’t think it’s a very effective one. That said, I hope we come out with a victory in both matches and that no one gets injured from overuse. Expect the same lot that stuck it to Houston at Walker Street, but don’t expect them all to play the full match. We’ll likely use all our substitutions.

GK     Frei

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Kim

RCH    Gomez Andrade

RB     Alex

LDM    Vargas

RDM   Cristian

LF     Kent

CAM   Rusnak

RF     Rothrock

CF     Musovski

Intangibles

Officiating.

The Referee for the midweek fixture will be Pierre-Luc Lauziere.

LAFC record with Lauziere as Ref: 2-0-0

Sounders FC record with Lauziere as Ref: 0-1-1

Outspent again.

SEA: €1.45M

LAFC: €7.88M

Form.

It’s been a bonny run the last five matches in the league. Over this span, Sounders are an unbeaten 4-1-0. Difficult to generate better results than that. Kudos to the Sounders FC squad and the coaching staff. Although I am sometimes critical of Sounders FC management, football operations, and ownership, I will give credit where it is due, when it is due.

Weather.

I checked the Saturday forecast for Los Angeles on 12 May, and the current prediction, which is, of course, subject to change, is 56ºF with light winds (5 mph), and a 10% chance of rain. Rainy conditions would favour the Sounders, but it’s LA, so I doubt it.

Fixture clutter.

So it’s two matches in four days. Good thing MLS opted us out of US Open Cup to reduce fixture clutter (grits teeth). How the Gaffer manages our manpower will play a significant role in what type of results we can expect from LAFC midweek and from arch-rival Portland on Sat.

General notes on personnel

LAFC transfers IN:

Terry - academy

Long - re-signed

Ebobisse (San Jose) free

Marlon - re-signed

Holm (Celtic) loan

Jesus (Estrela da Amadora) €4M

Delgado (LA Galaxy) €385,000

Tafari (FC Dallas) €290,000

Yeboah (Columbus Crew SC) free

Smolyakov (Polissya Zhytomyr) €2M

Under (Fenerbahce) loan €1.2M fee

Saldana (KFUM - Kameratene Oslo) free

Nielsen - reserves

Amaya (Toluca) loan

Raposo (Vancouver Whitecaps FC) free

LAFC transfers OUT:

Atuesta (Palmeiras) end of loan

Darboe (Bayern Munich) €1.5M

Duenas (Houston) free

Kamara - released 

Muller - released

Murillo (FC Juarez) free

Musto - released

O’Brien (Nottingham Forest) end of loan

Rosales (CD Guadalajara) free

Sanchez (Austin FC) free

Vela - released

Angel (San Diego FC) €190,000

Campos (Cruz Azul) €3.8M

Bogusz (Cruz Azul) €8.5M

Olivera (Gremio) €4.3M

Bombino (San Diego FC) loan

Comparison against common opponents

SD 3:2 LAFC

SD 3:0 SEA

(against SD: LAFC 0-0-1 -1, SEA 0-0-1 -3) marginal edge LAFC

HOU 1:0 LAFC

LAFC 2:0 HOU

SEA 0:0 HOU

HOU 1:3 SEA

(against HOU: LAFC 1-0-1 +1, SEA 1-1-0 +2) marginal edge SEA

LAFC 2:1 SJ

SJ 1:1 SEA

(against SJ: LAFC 1-0-0 +1, SEA 0-1-0 0) edge LAFC

LAFC 2:2 STL

STL 1:0 SEA

SEA 4:1 STL

(against STL: LAFC 0-1-0 0, SEA 1-0-1 +2) edge SEA

COL 2:1 LAFC CCC

LAFC 1:0 COL CCC

COL 1:1 SEA

(against COL: LAFC 1-0-1 0, SEA 0-1-0 0) marginal edge LAFC

Know Thine Enemy

LAFC as they lined up in their 2:2 draw against Vancouver at BC Place on 11 May.

GOALKEEPER

Hugo Lloris, 38

France (145/0)

Notable Clubs: Nice (72/0), Lyon (146/0), Tottenham Hotspur (361/0), Los Angeles FC (44/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1M

Notes: Developed by Cedac Cimiez and Nice. Won Coup de France and Trophee des Champions with Lyon. Won the FIFA World Cup and UEFA Nations League with France. Named Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the Year three times. Named to Ligue 1 Team of the Year three times. Won a US Open Cup with LAFC.

DEFENCE

Ryan Hollingshead, 34

United States

Notable Clubs: FC Dallas (193/18), Los Angeles FC (104/12)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1M

Notes: Played his university football for UCLA (81/16). Won an MLS League Championship and US Open Cup double with Dallas in 2016. Won MLS league and MLS Cup double in 2022 with LAFC. Won a US Open Cup with LAFC.

Aaron Long, 32

United States (35/3)

Notable Clubs: Sacramento Republic (2/0), New York RB (139/12), Los Angeles FC (60/2)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2M

Notes: Played his university football for UC Riverside (71/13). Won an MLS League Championship with NYRB. Named USL Defender of the Year in 2016. Named MLS Defender of the Year and MLS Best XI in 2018. Named to CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI in 2019. Named to CONCACAF Champions League Best XI 2023. Won a US Open Cup with LAFC.

Eddie Segura, 28

Colombia

Notable Clubs: Deportiva Pereira (52/1), Atletico Huila (77/2), Los Angeles FC (122/3)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.2M

Notes: Developed by Deportivo Pereira. Won two MLS league titles an MLS Cup, and a US Open Cup with LAFC, including the 2022 league and  MLS Cup double.

Sergi Palencia, 29

Catalonia

Notable Clubs: Bordeaux (25/0), Saint Etienne (6/0), Leganes (71/0), Los Angeles FC (62/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2.5M

Notes: Developed by CF Badalona and FC Barcelona. Won a US Open Cup with LAFC.

MIDFIELD

Marco Delgado, 29

United States (6/0)

Notable Clubs: Chivas USA (37/2), Toronto FC (181/15), Los Angeles Galaxy (91/5), Los Angeles FC (12/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2M

Notes: Developed by Pomona United, LAFC Chelsea, IMG Academy, Cosmos Academy West, and Chivas USA. Won MLS Cup and MLS League double in 2017, and  three Canadian Championships. Won MLS Cup with Los Angeles Galaxy.

Igor Jesus, 22

Brazil

Notable Clubs: Flamengo (20/0), Estrela da Amadora (13/0), Los Angeles FC (11/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €3.5M

Notes: Full name: Igor Jesus Lima. Developed by Goias and Flamengo. Played five times for Brazil at youth levels.

Timothy Tillman, 26

United States (1/0)

Notable Clubs: 1FC Nurnberg (6/0), Greuther Furth (80/2), Los Angeles FC (68/8)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2.5M

Notes: Developed by ASV Zimdorf, 1SC Feucht, Greuther Furth, and Bayern Munich. Won a German Supercup for Bayern Munich (as an unused substitute). Won a US Open Cup with LAFC.

FORWARD

Denis Bouanga, 30

Gabon (47/13)

Notable Clubs: Lorient (38/10), Strasbourg (18/5), Tours (36/16), Nimes (35/8), Saint-Etienne (97/26), Los Angeles FC (81/46)

Estimated Transfer Value: €8M

Notes: Developed by SO Maine and Le Mans. Won MLS league and MLS Cup double in 2022 with LAFC. Won CONCACAF Champions League Golden Boot (7 goals) 2023. Named to CONCACAF Champions League Best XI 2023. Won 2023 MLS Golden Boot (20 goals). Twice named to MLS Best XI. Won a US Open Cup with LAFC.

Nathan Ordaz, 21

El Salvador (3/0)

Notable Clubs: Los Angeles FC (46/3)

Estimated Transfer Value: €800,000

Notes: Developed by Real So Cal and Los Angeles FC. In addition to his three senior caps for El Salvador, he’s also played for them at youth levels (5/0). Won a US Open Cup with LAFC.

David Martinez, 19

Venezuela (1/0)

Notable Clubs: Monagas (34/5), Los Angeles FC (28/7)

Estimated Transfer Value: €3M

Notes: Full name: David Enmanuel Martinez Morales. Won a US Open Cup with Los Angeles FC.

Familiar Faces

Former Sounders FC Coach Ante Razov is a Coach with LAFC.

Squads

LAFC from:

Lloris, Hasal, Ochoa, Segura, Marlon, Palencia, Dallavalle, Hollingshead, Smoliakov, Long, Tafari, Igor Jesus, Delgado, Tillman, Yeboah, Raposo, Amaya, Saldana, Terry, Holm, Giroud, Ebobisse, Under, Ordaz, Martinez, Wibowo, Bouanga.

Sounders FC from:

Frei, Thomas, Baker, Baker-Whiting, Bell, Burney, Gomez Andrade, Hawkins, Kim, Kossa-Rienzi, Nouhou, Alex, Sousa, Joao Paulo, Leyva, Cristian, Rusnak, Vargas, de la Vega, De Rosario, Ferreira, Kent, Minoungou, Musovski, Rothrock.

Injury List

(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)

LAFC -

OUT: Chanot (head).

MATCHDAY DECISION: none.

Sounders FC -

OUT: Morris (hamstring), Ragen (hamstring), Arriola (knee).

MATCHDAY DECISION: none.

Discipline

(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)

No players suspended.

Fun Fact

Sounders FC Reserves also have a midweek fixture on the 14th. They will play Vancouver Whitecaps FC Reserves at Swangard Stadium. Kick-off will be at 6:30 p.m. PDT. Reserves are currently 5th in the MLS Next Pro league table and six points adrift of Chattanooga FC, an independent club in the league that has no MLS affiliation.

MLS Next Pro matches can be viewed on YouTube and the MLS Next Pro website, and selected matches are available on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV. Condensed matches are available on MLS Next Pro’s YouTube channel, although you must allow a bit of time for the footage to be edited.