SEATTLE, Wash. (August 18, 2018) – Seattle Sounders FC have now won six games in a row and gone nine unbeaten. The defeated the LA Galaxy 5-0 on Saturday afternoon, making mincemeat of the LA Galaxy defense.
Seattle Sounder demolish LA Galaxy defense 5-0
This game was all Sounders from the get-go. Without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who did not want to play in this game due to the turf surface, the visitors had little going forward. Without an outlet for pressure, the defense was left exposed, and the Rave Green took advantage.
Just three minutes in, center back Chad Marshall scored on a set piece, heading home a cross from Nicolás Lodeiro. In the 18th minute, Harrison Shipp scored after Seattle’s pressing won them the ball in a good position in the final third. The half ended 2-0, but the Sounders could have been up by more easily.
Five minutes into the second half, in a microcosm of the game, Servando Carrasco put the ball into his own net, with a poorly-timed toe-poke on a low cross into the box. Just before the hour mark, Cristian Roldan made it four after some great team passing to open up the Galaxy.
Raul Ruidiaz put the icing on the cake in the 67th minute with a goal on a shot just inside the far post. The match ended 5-0.
Three Takeaways:
Sounders on a roll: The Sounders have now won six in a row and at time of publishing, are above the red line. Lodeiro has returned to team MVP form. The defense has looked more organized in front of Stefan Frei. Raul Ruidiaz now has two goals and an assist in six appearances. Even if they don’t make the playoffs, they’re going to make the other bubble teams miserable.
Galaxy defense asking questions: Surprise, the Galaxy defense continues to be bad. Jorgen Skjelvik continues to look bad. Whomever he partners with at center back looks bad as well. Marking is poor in almost all situations. The build-up out of the back isn’t good enough. And it has been most of the year.
No Zlatan, no DPs, no points: The Galaxy were without their four highest-paid players in this game. All three DPs had injuries and Ibrahimovic did not want to play the game on turf. It showed, as the midfield was too easy to pass through and they had nothing going forward.
