Los Angeles Galaxy will be seeking to claim their first victory of the 2023 MLS season when they host the Seattle Sounders at the Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday.
The hosts have shared the spoils in their previous three outings, while Seattle find themselves in second place in the Western Conference entering this match.
Match preview
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Los Angeles Galaxy had to make do with a share of the spoils for the third game running, courtesy of a 0-0 draw with the Portland Timbers at Providence Park last Saturday.
Portland came into the game off the back of a 5-1 loss at Atlanta the previous weekend and have allowed 10 goals this season, which is the joint-highest in the league.
The Timbers even ended the game with defender Justin Rasmussen between the sticks after David Bingham appeared to suffer a hamstring injury, but Greg Vanney's side could not find a breakthrough, striking the woodwork twice.
That result means the Galaxy have picked up just three points from their four outings so far, leaving them in 11th place in the Western Conference, just one point clear of rock-bottom Colorado Rapids.
Although the Galaxy remain winless, their recent draws against Sporting Kansas City, Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers means they have now gone three games unbeaten, so Vanney may be quietly confident that his side can claim their first win of the season in front of their own fans this weekend.
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As for Seattle, they have begun the 2023 MLS season excellently, as 10 points from their opening five games has them in second place in the Western Conference coming into this weekend.
The Sounders got back on track last time out with a 4-1 victory against Kansas City after enduring two games without a win, closing the gap on league leaders St Louis City and resulting in Jordan Morris winning MLS Player of the Week for this four-goal performance.
Morris will be eyeing up this game as an opportunity to extend his lead at the top of the golden boot standings - in the last 13 games, Morris has recorded seven goals against the Galaxy, with five of them coming at Dignity Health Sports Park.
The two sides played out an enthralling 3-3 draw in California last season, but one potential cause for concern for Brian Schmetzer is that his side were not the greatest travellers last year, winning just three of their 17 away outings.
This term, the Sounders have managed one win and one loss from their two away trips so far, but Schmetzer will know that his team's performances on the road must improve vastly if they are to challenge for the biggest honours.
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Team News
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Javier Hernandez has not featured in any of the Galaxy's matches this season due to a muscle injury, which is set to keep him out of this weekend's contest.
Despite having already served his suspension for a sending-off last season, Douglas Costa remains out of contention for the visitors through a torn muscle.
Jonathan Bond looks set to remain on the treatment table for this clash after picking up an injury against Vancouver, so Jonathan Klinsmann looks set to take his place between the sticks once again.
As for the visitors, Heber is back in full training in ahead of this weekend's matchup with the Galaxy, although this match may come too soon for him to feature.
Alex Roldan and Nouhou Tolo could return to the starting XI after being away on international duty, while Leo Chu tallied four assists against Kansas City - making him the first player in club history to do so - so he could be rewarded with a starting place here.
Los Angeles Galaxy possible starting lineup:
Klinsmann; Calegari, Caceres, Neal, Edwards; Brugman, Delgado, Puig; Alvarez, Boyd, Joveljic
Seattle Sounders possible starting lineup:
Frei; Roldan, Ragen, Gomez Andrade, Tolo; Joao Paulo; Roldan, Lodeiro, Rusnak, Morris; Ruidiaz
We say: Los Angeles Galaxy 0-2 Seattle Sounders
The Galaxy have shown in recent weeks that they have shored things up defensively by only conceding one goal in the past three games, but by the same token, they have only scored one goal during that time.
LA seem to be missing Javier Hernandez's goals while Seattle seem to be growing in confidence, so we think they will have too much firepower for Greg Vanney's side.
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