LAFC vs Sporting Kansas City
Friday, July 29, 2022
8:00pm PT
Banc of California Stadium - Los Angeles, California
TV: FS1, FOX Deportes
Radio: 710 AM ESPN, ESPN LA App, 980 AM La Mera Mera
LAFC is looking to stay hot and win its fourth-straight game on Friday when it hosts the Seattle Sounders in a Friday night, primetime match-up. The Black & Gold aim to continue to their dominance at Banc of California Stadium, where the team holds the best home record in the Western Conference (8-1-2), and the second-best home record since entering the league in 2018.
LAFC returns home after a successful two-game road trip where it was able to capture all six points (2-0-0) and remain atop the Supporters’ Shield standings with 45 points. The Black & Gold have had the edge at BOCS when hosting the Sounders, with four wins (4-1-1), while suffering their lone defeat at home in heartbreaking fashion in the 2019 Western Conference Finals
The Sounders currently sit in ninth- place in the Western Conference standings through 21 games played and will hope to win their second-straight game as they fight for a spot in the 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs after focusing in the early part of the season on making history, which they did when they became the first MLS team to win the Concacaf Champions Cup.
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SOUNDERS IN-DEPTH
Led by head coach Brian Schmetzer, the Sounders have had a very up-and-down 2022 MLS Regular Season, having won just one game in July heading into this match (1-3-0).
Forward Jordan Morris is the current goal leader amongst the team with six goals through 17 games played. Seattle has been without their second-leading goal scorer, Raúl Ruidíaz, for a majority of the 2022 season due to injury. Ruidíaz, who scored 17 goals in all of 2021, has five goals in nine games for the Sounders in 2022.
The Sounders, who will likely be without Ruidíaz, will also be without midfielders Kelyn Rowe (red card suspension), Obed Vargas (back), and João Paulo (ACL tear).
LAFC WILL WIN IF
The team can settle down in a big game atmosphere, play its own style, and feed the ball to the goal scorers up top. Cristian Arango, having scored seven goals in the last eight games, has proven he can score from just about any angle on the field, and will need to keep his streak alive. The defensive line will need to break down the space Seattle loves to create when they are on the attack and keep its eye on Seattle’s biggest deep threat, Jordan Morris, who is an expert at feeding off breakaways.
SOUNDERS WILL WIN IF
Cristian Roldan, Jordan Morris, and Nicolás Lodeiro are not contained. The trio has combined for 13 of the team’s 28 goals this season. With the loss of Kelyn Rowe, Brian Schmetzer is likely to utilize Roldan and Albert Rusnák down the middle in a formation (4-2-3-1) that has given the Sounders success. The Sounders love to play through chaos and will take advantage of any windows on the field given to them.
Inspired by Resident Evil 2, a 2019 survival horror game developed and published by Capcom.
