The Seattle Sounders are visiting LAFC on Tuesday in their third and final meeting of the 2021 MLS regular season. Here is everything you need to know:
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. PT at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles.
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be televised on ESPN and ESPN Deportes.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The match will air on 950 KJR AM and El Rey 1360 AM.
2021 RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Seattle: 17-7-7 (58 points, 1st West), LAFC: 11-12-8 (41 points, 9th West)
FORM GUIDE (most recent first): Sounders: LDLWW, LAFC: DWWDL
GETTING BACK ON TRACK: The Sounders will look to right the ship as the regular season winds down. Seattle is winless in its last three matches with three more to go before the postseason.
JOÃO PAULO SUSPENDED: Things will be even more difficult for the Sounders as they will be without potential MLS Best XI midfielder João Paulo, who is suspended because of yellow-card accumulation.
ROAD TO TEN: With a win, the Sounders will set a club record with their 10th road win of the season and join the Supporters’ Shield-winning New England Revolution as the only two teams with double-digit away victories this year.
FIGHT FOR SEVENTH: LAFC find themselves in unfamiliar territory in their fourth MLS season, as they sit three points beneath the Western Conference playoff line. Head Coach Bob Bradley’s side will be desperate for points in their penultimate home match of the regular season.
CHANGING OF THE GUARD: LAFC will look remarkably different from the last time these two teams met. 2020 MLS Golden Boot leader Diego Rossi is gone to Fenerbahçe in Turkey, while central midfield stalwart Mark-Anthony Kaye was shipped to the Colorado Rapids. 2019 MLS MVP Carlos Vela has also not played since Aug. 21 while he recovers from an injury.
ARANGO ARRIVAL: The man almost singlehandedly trying to drag LAFC from the bottom of the Western Conference and into the playoffs is forward Cristian Arango. LAFC signed the 26-year-old in August from Millonarios in his native Colombia and is likely going to be the MLS Newcomer of the Year. Arango has 12 goals and an assist in 14 matches since he joined LAFC, including six goals in his last three games.
