“If someone is going to spend a whole game marking you, then there may be games when I will have to sacrifice myself for the team and take them away and create space for a team-mate.”
– Aston Villa (282/29) and Scotland (93/22) midfielder John McGinn
Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Green. LAFC make the trip north to The Evergreen to play our beloved Sounders FC in the last match of the league season. If all goes well, perhaps a Hollywood ending is not beyond our grasp.
What: MLS league match, Seattle Sounders FC v. Los Angeles FC.
Where: Royal Brougham Park, Occidental Avenue, Seattle, Washington.
When: 4:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, Saturday 7 November 2026 CE.
At Stake: Well, the eight-match losing streak from the summer and our more current lapse of form sees us here, needing a positive result in the last fixture of league play in addition to other results that must fall our way to qualify for MLS Cup. There are eight possible scenarios in which we manage qualification. Sooooo, we’ll see. Sounders are currently 19th place in the MLS league table on 43 points, 31 points adrift of 2026 MLS League Champions Nashville SC and eight points adrift of 9th place St. Louis City SC, the 2026 US Open Cup Champions. The western region table for MLS Cup qualifying looks like this as of today:
6 LAFC 1 match remaining 47 points
7 LA Galaxy 1 match remaining 44 points
8 Portland 1 match remaining 43 points
9 Colorado 1 match remaining 43 points
———————————————————————————————————————————————
10 Sounders 1 match remaining 43 points
11 Salt Lake 1 match remaining 42 points
12 Minnesota 1 match remaining 41 points
13 San Diego 1 match remaining 38 points - eliminated
14 Austin 1 match remaining 34 points - eliminated
15 Kansas City 1 match remaining 23 points - eliminated
Relevant matches:
ATX v. POR || DAL v. COL || MIN v. SJ || RSL v. LAG
Where to Watch: Apple TV. KJR simulcast should be available in the control layer of the application, although last time out the audio wasn’t synched with the video, and that was disappointing.
Where to Listen: KJR 93.3 FM (via iHeartMedia Seattle) and El Rey 1360 AM.
Sunday will mark the 34th and final match of the 2026 MLS league season. Nashville are the champions, nothing can be done to change that at this stage. Although this season has not yet produced any trophies, there were high points to be certain.
We very nearly made it to the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, succumbing only to a very good Tigres UANL side on away goals in the quarter-finals. Outside of that cup run though, it’s been pretty ordinary.
We finished near the bottom of the league stage in Leagues Cup, 16th out of 18 MLS teams. We got smashed by Toluca 3:0 in our most recent field trip to Mexico, followed by a comprehensive 3:0 win over Queretaro, a club with far lesser resources than us, and squandering a 1:0 lead to lose 1:2 to the Chivas of Guadalajara.
The MLS league championship, which has been settled, with the last fixture to be played this Saturday, has seen our form both soar and plummet. A torrid 7-3-1 start out of the gate would devolve into a club record (MLS-era) eight-match losing streak.
We weren’t able to earn a result until 22 August with a draw at Cincinnati. Shortly after, the club brought Serbian striker Dejan Joveljic to Longacres, who would help build an unbeaten streak of nine matches (4-5-0) that lasted through 10 October. And that match at New England is the last victory we’ve managed, seeing us go 0-2-3 since.
The only trophy left for us to play for is MLS Cup, and a perennial nemesis stands in our way - the Los Angeles Football Club. We struggle to compete with them at times, save for a miracle MLS Cup tie from years back. Generally in the league, we’re not that good against them. Even at home, we are not really dominant against them. They play in a bigger market, and invest in brighter stars, such as Korean striker Son Heung-min, and Gabonese striker Denis Bouanga.
If you look at this match-up by the numbers we haven’t got a chance. The only thing in our favour are intangibles. Sounders have the best support in the league, and the atmosphere at Royal Brougham Park is peerless. Sounders tend to come up big when everything is on the line, and this is helped on by the dual-edged blade of MLS’ comical level of league parity. On any given day, 30th place could beat 1st place.
In fact, a perfect example of this was when we traveled to Kansas City on 2 May this season. We were riding high, in the top-10 places in the league, with Sporting second from bottom at 29th place. Paul Rothrock had put us ahead early with a startling 2nd minute goal. 14 minutes later, none other than Dejan Joveljic hit the equaliser and the match remained level 1:1 at full-time.
No matter how pear-shaped things have gone since early October, a club’s fortunes in MLS could turn on a dime at any moment. So why not this moment? Why not us this year? We have injured players, and our form is less than ideal, but we’ve overcome obstacles like this before.
One thing is certain. Come Saturday, our support will create the most miserable environment for a travelling side in MLS. There will be no quit, and all effort. Much like the heroes of Alexandre Dumas’ Three Musketeers who said “All for one and one for all.” If we can carry that spirit, the spirit of the Musketeers in Dumas’ work. It might just be enough.
It’s MLS football in the Sunday afternoon twilight of Royal Brougham Park. GO ON YOU SOUNDERS!!! GET IN!!!
Before kick-off, please join me in the auld toast: “TO THE SEATTLE SOUNDERS FOOTBALL CLUB…AND VICTORY!!!”
I’d say Sounders FC have a lot in common with this bloke. One misstep…
The Good News
Even with three key players out through injury, we still have plenty of quality in the squad to select from to be competitive in this match.
Fortunately we don’t have to face Venezuelan forward David Martinez, because LAFC were kind enough to sell him on to Danish club Midtjylland for €7.3M.
Although our overall record against LAFC is quite bad (4-4-11), we are somewhat better against them when we play here at Royal Brougham Park (4-3-2).
If you look at the Sounders stats, we have three players with five league goals each, one player with four goals, five players with three goals each, and three players with two goals each. That’s nine players with three goals or better which makes it difficult to figure out who to double-mark or isolate. Plus our top three playmakers, Rusnak, Ferreira, and Cristian, make it so you don’t quite know where the killer pass might come from. Although we’d prefer to have more players score more goals, this is, ultimately - in the context of a single match, an advantage.
Although LAFC are currently seven places above us in the standings, we’re only separated by four points. In addition, the Loons pumped this lot for three goals on Sunday. Maybe I like our chances.
The Sounders were better or as good as LAFC against the following top-10 teams this season: Houston, St. Louis, San Jose, Dallas, and Vancouver. Current form notwithstanding, you can’t ignore the achievement.
LAFC’s squad aggregate estimated transfer value is only slightly higher than ours (about €6.7M higher), and we spent nearly the same amount on transfers (we spent €1M less). Maybe we’re closer to the same quality than one might have thought.
The Bad News
Alex is listed as a matchday decision with a calf problem. Usually when it’s a hamstring, or quadriceps, or calf the player in question is not likely to pass a late fitness test. Danny Musovski (head) also faces a late fitness test. Gomez Andrade, still out. De la Vega, still out. None of that is any good.
At 23 years-old, Finnish forward Leo Walta has 18 caps and 5 goals for Finland. Don’t sleep on this lad. Our defenders had better mark up.
In addition to adding Walta from Swansea City, LAFC also added Vasquez (Orense), Sieb (Bayern Munich), and Thayllon (Avai). LAFC got a lot stronger after the summer transfer window closed. We bought one player. Joveljic. Granted, he’s an amazing goal scorer, but still just one player.
By the numbers, LAFC are better on both sides of the football. They have the 3rd best defence in the league (1.11 goals conceded/match), where we are tied for 5th best (1.35 goals conceded/match). Our guests score at an average of 1.59 goals/match to our 1.35. In all competitions, LAFC have scored 70 goals in 44 matches, and we have scored 54 goals in 40 matches. If we’re gonna get into MLS Cup, and then be there for any length of time after, we’re gonna need to score more goals.
The spacing is still so bad. Players crimping each other’s spaces is not good. Having four players in the box that are in cover and can’t receive a pass is not a good thing. I can only surmise that they are being taught to do that. If so, this is a very bad thing. Footballers need to create space for each other. This opens lanes to pass and shoot, and to make runs through. It is the very fundamental fibre of what generates successful football.
The Side I Would Select
I think this selection gives us the best chance to win. I favour Lopez at right-centre-half because his passing percentage is high (92%), and he’s hit more key passes (4) than the other available options at his position.
GK Thomas
LB Nouhou
LCH Ragen
RCH Lopez
RB Kossa-Rienzi
LDM Dotson
RDM Cristian
LF Morris
CAM Rusnak
RF Ferreira
CF Joveljic
The Side I Think The Gaffer Will Select
The Gaffer has recently favoured Hawkins in situations when Alex and Gomez Andrade aren’t available to play right-centre-half. With Alex dealing with a calf issue, Hawkins in the team is my best guess. The players who could fill in at that position are: Kim, Lopez, and Sailor.
GK Thomas
LB Nouhou
LCH Ragen
RCH Hawkins
RB Kossa-Rienzi
LDM Dotson
RDM Cristian
LF Morris
CAM Rusnak
RF Ferreira
CF Joveljic
Intangibles
Filip Dujic will be the match Referee for Sunday afternoon’s match.
SEA record with Dujic as Ref: 4-1-0
LAFC record with Dujic as Ref: 2-1-2
SEA aggregate squad estimated transfer value: €51.9M
LAFC aggregate squad estimated transfer value: €58.63M
SEA 2026 transfer fees paid: €5.2M
LAFC 2026 transfer fees paid: €6.2M
LAFC’s caretaker Manager, Xavi Tamarit, was previously Manager for Valencia Women, and coached for Valencia, Estudiantes de le Plata, Independiente, Alaves, Leganes, Velez Sarsfield, Universidad de Chile, Cadiz, and Lanus. Tamarit holds UEFA Pro and CONMEBOL Pro coaching licenses.
General notes on personnel
LAFC transfers IN:
Choiniere (Grasshopper) €820,000
Shaffelburg (Nashville SC) €850,000
Evans - reserves
Carter - reserves
Boyd (Nashville SC) free
Boudri (GAIS) €3.3M
Eustaquio (Porto) loan
Diaz - reserves
Cheberko (Columbus Crew SC) free
Sieb (Bayern Munich) €710,000
Vasquez (Orense SC) €515,000
Mihalic - reserves
Walta (Swansea City) loan
Roberth (Avai) loan
LAFC transfers OUT:
Bombino (San Diego FC) €173,000
Amaya (Toluca) end of loan
Baluta (Boluspor) free
Holm (Celtic) end of loan
Jailson - released
Moran (Brighton) end of loan
Ochoa - released
Saldana - released
Yeboah (QD Hainiu) free
Dellavalle (MLS Pool) free
Wibowo (Wacker Innsbruck) loan
Evans (Wacker Innsbruck) loan
Ordaz (DC United) €2.09M
Boudri (Hammarby) €3.3M
Smoliakov (Kharkiv) loan
Martinez (Midtjylland) €7.3M
Comparison against common opponents
SEA 2:0 COL
COL 3:3 SEA
LAFC 0:0 COL
COL 1:0 LAFC
(against COL: SEA 1-1-0 +2, LAFC 0-1-1 -1) decisive edge SEA
RSL 2:1 SEA
SEA 2:0 RSL
LAFC 3:1 RSL
RSL 2:2 LAFC
(against RSL: SEA 1-0-1 +1, LAFC 1-1-0 +2) marginal edge LAFC
STL 0:1 SEA
SEA 4:1 STL
LAFC 2:0 STL
STL 2:1 LAFC
(against STL: SEA 2-0-0 +4, LAFC 1-0-1 +1) decisive edge SEA
SJ 0:1 SEA
SEA 3:2 SJ
LAFC 1:4 SJ
SJ 2:2 LAFC
(against SJ: SEA 2-0-0 +2, LAFC 0-1-1 -3) decisive edge SEA
MIN 0:0 SEA
SEA 3:1 MIN
MIN 0:1 LAFC
LAFC 1:3 MIN
(against MIN: SEA 1-1-0 +2, LAFC 1-0-1 -1) edge SEA
HOU 0:1 SEA
SEA 0:1 HOU
HOU 0:2 LAFC
LAFC 1:4 HOU
(against HOU: SEA 1-0-1 0, LAFC 1-0-1 -1) marginal edge SEA
SEA 2:1 DAL
DAL 1:0 SEA
LAFC 1:0 DAL
DAL 1:0 LAFC
(against DAL: SEA 1-0-1 0, LAFC 1-0-1 0) even
SKC 1:1 SEA
SEA 2:1 SKC
LAFC 4:0 SKC
SKC 3:1 LAFC
(against SKC: SEA 1-1-0 +1, LAFC 1-0-1 +2) even
SEA 1:1 SD
SD 2:2 SEA
SD 2:2 LAFC
LAFC 0:1 SD
(against SD: SEA 0-2-0 0, LAFC 0-1-1 -1) marginal edge SEA
SEA 0:2 LAG
LAG 1:1 SEA
LAG 0:3 LAFC
LAFC 2:2 LAG
(against LAG: SEA 0-1-1 -2, LAFC 1-1-0 +3) decisive edge LAFC
SEA 1:5 POR
POR 2:1 SEA
POR 2:1 LAFC
LAFC 1:1 POR
(against POR: SEA 0-0-2 -5, LAFC 0-1-1 -1) decisive edge LAFC
ATX 3:1 SEA
SEA 1:2 ATX
ATX 0:0 LAFC
LAFC 3:1 ATX
(against ATX: SEA 0-0-2 -3, LAFC 1-1-0 +2) decisive edge LAFC
SEA 0:2 VAN
VAN 5:1 SEA
VAN 0:3 SEA CCC
SEA 2:1 VAN* CCC *Spokane
VAN 1:1 LAFC
LAFC 1:1 VAN
(against VAN: SEA 2-0-2 -2, LAFC 0-2-0 0) marginal edge SEA
SEA 0:0 NYRB
LAFC 2:0 NYRB
(against NYRB: SEA 0-1-0 0, LAFC 1-0-0 +2) edge LAFC
TOL 3:0 SEA LC
LAFC 2:1 TOL CCC
TOL 4:0 LAFC CCC
LAFC 1:0 TOL LC
(against TOL: SEA 0-0-1 -3, LAFC 2-0-1 -2) decisive edge LAFC
SEA 3:0 QUE LC
LAFC 1:1 QUE LC
(against QUE: SEA 1-0-0 +3, LAFC 0-1-0 0) decisive edge SEA
SEA 1:2 GDL LC
LAFC 1:1 GDL LC
(against GDL: SEA 0-0-1 -1, LAFC 0-1-0 0) marginal edge LAFC
Know Thine Enemy
LAFC as they lined up against the Loons in their 1:3 defeat at Figueroa Street on 1 November.
GOALKEEPER
Hugo Lloris, 39
France (145/0)
Notable Clubs: Nice (72/0), Lyon (146/0), Tottenham Hotspur (361/0), Los Angeles FC (94/0)
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
Eddie Segura, 29
Colombia
Notable Clubs: Deportiva Pereira (52/1), Atletico Huila (77/2), Los Angeles FC (169/4)
Estimated Transfer Value: €2M
Notes: Developed by Deportivo Pereira. Won 2x MLS league titles an MLS Cup, and a US Open Cup with LAFC, including the 2022 league and MLS Cup double.
Aaron Long, 34
United States (35/3)
Notable Clubs: Sacramento Republic (2/0), New York RB (139/12), Los Angeles FC (82/2)
Estimated Transfer Value: €600,000
Notes: Played his university football for UC Riverside (71/13). Won an MLS League Championship with NYRB. Won a US Open Cup with LAFC. 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.
Ryan Porteous, 27
Scotland (13/1)
Notable Clubs: Hibernian (120/11), Watford (76/7), Preston North End (11/1), Los Angeles FC (38/0)
Estimated Transfer Value: €3M
Notes: Developed by Edina Hibs, Aberdeen, and Hibernian. Named to CONCACAF Champions Cup Best XI 2026.
Sergi Palencia, 29
Catalonia
Notable Clubs: Bordeaux (25/0), Saint Etienne (6/0), Leganes (71/0), Los Angeles FC (100/2)
Estimated Transfer Value: €2.5M
Notes: Developed by CF Badalona and FC Barcelona. Won a US Open Cup with LAFC.
MIDFIELD
Igor Jesus, 23
Brazil
Notable Clubs: Flamengo (20/0), Estrela da Amadora (13/0), Los Angeles FC (32/0)
Estimated Transfer Value: €3M
Notes: Full name: Igor Jesus Lima. Developed by Goias and Flamengo. Played for Brazil (5/0) at youth levels.
Son Heung-min, 33
South Korea (151/59)
Notable Clubs: Hamburg SV (73/20), Bayer Leverkusen (62/21), Tottenham (333/127), Los Angeles FC (40/16)
Estimated Transfer Value: €15M
Notes: Developed by Yukminkwan Middle School, Dongbuk Middle School, FC Seoul, and Hamburg SV. Won a UEFA Europa League with Tottenham. A long list of Son’s individual honours may be viewed here.
Mathieu Choiniere, 27
Canada (27/0)
Notable Clubs: CF Montreal (119/11), Grasshopper (17/1), Los Angeles FC (42/3)
Estimated Transfer Value: €1M
Notes: Developed by Celtix du Haut-Richelieu, CS St.-Hubert, and Montreal Impact. Won 2x Canadian Championship with Montreal Impact. Named to CONCACAF Champions Cup Best XI 2026.
FORWARD
Leo Walta, 23
Finland (18/5)
Notable Clubs: Nordsjaelland (19/0), HB Koge (14/3), Mjallby (11/2), Sirius (59/23), Swansea City (1/0), Los Angeles FC (5/2)
Estimated Transfer Value: €3M
Notes: Developed by Pakkalan Palloseura, HJK Helsinki, and Nordsjaelland. Won a FIFA Series title with Finland. Named Football Association of Finland Young Player of the Year 2021.
Denis Bouanga, 31
Gabon (57/18)
Notable Clubs: Lorient (38/10), Strasbourg (18/5), Tours (36/16), Nimes (35/8), Saint-Etienne (97/26), Los Angeles FC (132/83)
Estimated Transfer Value: €8M
Notes: Developed by SO Maine and Le Mans. Won MLS league and MLS Cup double in 2022 plus a US Open Cup 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). 3x named MLS Best XI.
Armindo Sieb, 23
Germany
Notable Clubs: Greuther Furth (63/16), Mainz (49/4), Los Angeles FC (10/1)
Estimated Transfer Value: €2M
Notes: Developed by SG Motor Halle, RB Leipzig, TSG Hoffenheim, and Bayern Munich. Has played for Germany (43/14) at youth levels.
Familiar Faces
Former Sounders FC (91/5) player and coach, Andy Rose, is a coach with LAFC.
Squads
Sounders FC from:
Frei, Thomas, Anchor, Hawkins, Kim, Kossa-Rienzi, Lopez, Nouhou, Alex, Ragen, Sailor, Brunell, Kingston, Clark, Cristian, Dotson, Rusnak, Arriola, Ferreira, Gomez, Joveljic, Morris, Musovski, Rothrock.
LAFC from:
Hasal, Carter, Segura, Porteous, Palencia, Cheberko, Hollingshead, Diaz, Nielsen, Tafari, Igor Jesus, Delgado, Vasquez, Raposo, Terry, Choiniere, Walta, Son, Sieb, Ebobissie, Shaffelburg, Boyd, Thayllon, Mihalic, Bouanga.
Injury List
(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)
Sounders FC -
OUT: Gomez Andrade (hamstring), De la Vega (quadriceps), Petkovic (knee).
MATCHDAY DECISION: Alex (calf), Musovski (head).
LAFC -
OUT: Lloris (back), Long (head), Tillman (pelvis).
MATCHDAY DECISION: none.
Discipline
(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)
Sounders FC: No players suspended. Dotson out next match if booked.
LAFC: No players suspended.
Fun Fact
Should Sounders goalkeeper Andrew Thomas play the entire match come Sunday, he will become the third player in club history to play every minute of league football for an entire season. Only Stefan Frei and Kasey Keller have previously accomplished this feat. (Per Sounders FC Communications)
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