CaliSports News

Recap of October 4, 2015 Match: LA Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders

‏@GerrardUpdate

Super teams of the Western Conference—the LA Galaxy and the Seattle Sounders—faced off for the final time of the 2015 Regular Season. Undoubtedly one of the finest rivalries in Major League Soccer, they never fail to put on a show!

 

Starting Lineups and Substitutions

LA Galaxy Seattle Sounders
1 GK Donovan Ricketts 24 GK Stefan Frei
14 D Robbie Rogers 4 D Tyrone Mears
22 D Leonardo 3 D Brad Evans
4 D Omar Gonzalez 20 D Zach Scott
20 D A.J. DeLaGarza 12 D Leonardo Gonzalez
17 M Sebastian Lletget 27 M Lamar Neagle
8 M Steven Gerrard 6 M Oslvaldo Alonso
19 M Juninho 8 M Gonzalo Pineda
11 M Gyasi Zardes 23 M Andreas Ivanschitz
10 F Giovani dos Santos 9 F Obafemi Martins
7 F Robbie Keane 2 F Clint Dempsey
12 GK Brian Rowe 1 GK Troy Perkins
33 D Dan Gargan 15 D Dylan Remick
27 D Dave Romney 21 D Jimmy Ockford
3 M Mika Vayrynen 19 M Chad Barrett
25 M Rafael Garcia 28 M Erik Friberg
5 M Jose Villarreal 10 M Marco Pappa
9 F Alan Gordon 5 M Andy Rose

 

The LA Galaxy continued to improve their performance against the Sounders as the regular season winds down. It’s especially beneficial because with the playoffs nearing, the Galaxy need as much momentum heading into it as they can manage.

The Sounders and the Galaxy both launched into the match with speed, strength, and endurance. They came close to score in the first early minutes, but neither succeeded before the first thirty minutes.

In the thirty-sixth minute, Robbie Keane intercepted a poor pass between the Seattle defense. He quickly took two touches and shot the ball past Stefan Frei. He scored his 17th goal of the season, which ties him with David Villa for third place in the quest for the Golden Boot.

Unfortunately, the Galaxy’s lead only lasted about sixty minutes. In stoppage time, Chad Barrett scored off of a well-placed corner kick from Brad Evans. The Sounders took away three highly contested points from the Galaxy.

Nonetheless, this game proved that simply having Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins on the field fails to secure a win. The Galaxy can defeat the Sounders. If the Sounders make it to the playoffs and they face each other gain, I hope LA will take them down again.

The downside to this match— both Giovani dos Santos and A.J. DeLaGarza suffered injuries during it. When Gio returns is up in the air, the Mexican National Team staff estimated 2-3 weeks. The injury forced him to miss the USA vs. Mexico match on October 10 so he could stay in LA and recover. I hope A.J., Baggio Husidic (still out with a hamstring injury) and Gio will heal up in time to return for the playoffs.

On Sunday, October 18, the LA Galaxy will travel to Portland to play the Timbers. The Galaxy have already clinched their playoff opportunity, so now they’re trying to regain first place in the Western Conference and earn the Supporters Shield. Portland has two chances to join the Galaxy in the playoffs. If the Timbers beat the Galaxy, they need the San Jose Earthquakes to either lose to or tie against Sporting KC, but Portland can still move on if they tie the Galaxy and Sporting beats the Earthquakes.

Personally, I would much rather see Portland go to the playoffs over the San Jose Earthquakes. Nonetheless, I want the Galaxy to win the Supporters Shield, and since FC Dallas beat the Vancouver Whitecaps, they lead the Conference by three points, but they have another game this weekend against Real Salt Lake.

Tune to Fox Sports this Sunday to support the LA Galaxy in their quest for the Supporters Shield!

Stay with us at Calisportsnews.com as we will keep you up-to-date on all things LA Galaxy and the rest of the LA sports teams! All Cali, all the time!

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