Two teams at the top of the Major League Soccer Western Conference will meet on Saturday when Seattle Sounders welcome Los Angeles FC.
Both teams have made bright starts to the new campaign as they each boast two victories which is momentum they will each be aiming to extend.
Match preview
Seattle Sounders made a strong start to the 2023 campaign with consecutive victories in which they scored six goals and kept two clean sheets to showcase their qualities at both ends of the field.
However, their undefeated start to the season was brought to an end in their most recent performance when they were beaten by FC Cincinnati, despite the fact their opponents had 10 men for the final 10 minutes.
That is a game that they will now be trying to put behind them immediately to get back to their strong start, especially since a win could take them to the top of the table.
Both of Seattle's victories came in home fixtures, and their attempt to make Lumen Field a fortress will be on display again this time around.
Having only conceded a single goal in their opening three matches there will be no shortage of confidence that they can cope defensively, but they will need to show more attacking quality this time around.
The visitors have also made a brilliant start to their MLS campaign, and they head into this one undefeated after winning both of their matches to this point.
Los Angeles FC have done so in impressive fashion as well by scoring seven goals across those matches which included a brilliant 4-0 win against New England Revolution.
However, Steve Cherundolo's men were defeated in their most recent outing against Liga Deportiva Alajuelense in the CONCACAF Champions League, although the 2-1 loss did not knock them out.
Los Angeles FC had won the first leg of their round-of-16 match 3-0 which ultimately ensured that they earned a place in the next stage of the competition, adding to their strong start to the campaign overall.
This weekend will mark their first away trip of the MLS campaign, though, providing a new sort of test to the team for this season.
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Team News
Seattle Sounders have been without Raul Ruidiaz recently as he is dealing with a hamstring strain which has kept him on the sidelines, being joined by Obed Vargas who has a quadricep problem.
Fredy Montero led the line last weekend, and that is something that will likely continue as he will operate as a lone striker.
Maxime Crepeau remains on the sidelines for the visitors due to a leg injury, and that is going to have him miss out this time around as well.
However, Stipe Biuk, Aaron Long and Timothy Tillman are three new players who have made an immediate impact for Los Angeles FC, adding further depth into the team.
Seattle Sounders possible starting lineup:
Frei; A. Roldan, Ragen, Gomez, Tolo; Rusnak, Paulo; C. Roldan, Lodeiro, Morris; Montero
Los Angeles FC possible starting lineup:
McCarthy; Hollingshead, Murillo, Long, Palacios; Tillman, Sanchez, Cifuentes; Bouanga, Vela, Torres
We say: Seattle Sounders 2-2 Los Angeles FC
Both teams have started the new campaign in impressive fashion, and that has included both of them scoring a lot of goals. With that in mind, it should be an entertaining match, and one that could lead to them sharing the points here.
How to watch
You can watch Seattle Sounders vs. Los Angeles FC and every MLS match this season live on Apple TV. Click here for more details on how to subscribe.For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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