The Seattle Sounders get set to square off against the Los Angeles Galaxy in a crucial Western Conference matchup at CenturyLink Field. Kickoff time is tomorrow night at 6pm and it will be televised nationally on ESPN2. We're expecting over 60,000 fans to be in attendance for this one as the MLS playoff race begins to heat up in the Western Conference and the Sounders are in need of a big win to pick up a bit of ground on Real Salt Lake and the San Jose Earthquakes, who they will meet next Saturday in San Jose. Last time the Sounders and the Galaxy met was back on May 2nd here in Seattle. The Sounders came out on top 2-0 with goals from Eddie Johnson and Fredy Montero. The Galaxy have bounced back from their slow start to the season and are currently 5th in the Western Conference, so this is a much different LA side than we saw earlier in the year.
Injury report:
Los Angeles Galaxy - For LA, Edson Buddle had surgery on his right knee so it's pretty obvious that he won't take any part of this game. Leonardo is also out, he has inflammation on his right knee. Kyle Nakazawa is having back spasms so he's listed as questionable. The rest of the players that are listed as questionable are Andrew Boyens, Todd Dunivant, Dan Keat and Omar Gonzalez.
Seattle Sounders FC - For the Sounders, some big news regarding this. Steve Zakuani is no longer on the injured list so it looks like he's fully healed and ready to go. Unfortunately, the guys that aren't fully healed and ready to go are David Estrada and Babayele Sodade.
What to look out for in this game:
- So I'm not going to throw out any key matchups for this one, so I'm just gonna give you guys a few things to keep an eye on here. Yesterday as many of you may have heard, Christian Tiffert did get his P-1 visa so he is eligible to play tomorrow against the Galaxy. Sigi said during practice that Tiffert will not start tomorrow vs LA, but he will be available off the bench.
- With Zakuani no longer being on the injured list, I would assume that he is going to be in the squad tomorrow. Zakuani made his return from injury on July 7 against the Colorado Rapids, making his first appearance since April 23, 2011, against the Rapids when he suffered a double fracture on his left leg.
- There have been questions these last few days about whether or not Eddie Johnson and Fredy Montero can co-exist up front for the Sounders. Remember, Montero started on the bench during the Sounders home match against the Rapids and away to New York. That can't happen against LA, they both need to start up front. Fredy Montero and Eddie Johnson both need to co-exist. The Sounders are gonna need a lot from them against LA.
The Sounders have had a great week of preperation for this one. They know that they are facing a different LA team than they did earlier on in the season. It should be a great match. Hopefully the Sounders can come out on top and get the three points. If the match ends in a draw, fine but the Sounders are prepped and ready to clash with LA in front of a crowd of at least 60,000.
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