Seattle Sounders FC head coach Brian Schmetzer met with local media Sunday afternoon after the teams last practice before heading to LA to prepare for Tuesdays Nights ( 7:00pm PST) Western Conference final against LAFC.
Tuesdays game will showcase two teams who finished one and two in the Western Conference Standings during the regular season. LAFC finished as the top team in the West and also took home the Supporters Shield for having the best record in the league. LAFC set an MLS record for the most points in a regular season. Both teams enter Tuesdays game with confidence and swagger. While they finished second in the Western Conference behind LAFC the Sounders were 16 points back.
PLAYOFF SWAGGER
LAFC dispatched cross time nemesis LA Galaxy in a 5-3 thriller while the Sounders are brimming with confidence from their 2-0 shut out win over Real Salt Lake. In the two matches between the two teams the Sounders have a tie and no wins , losing 4-1 in LAFC and drawing at home 1-1. Due to weird scheduling both games were played in April.
LAFC will be in a mood to get the ball upfield score early and score often. LAFC scored 90 goals in the regular season compared to the Sounders 58. Golden Boot winner Carlos Vela set a league record for most goals scored in a season with 34 goals in 31 starts. Vela also recorded 15 assists. Jordan Morris leads the Sounders with 13 goals and has elevated his club and country performance since recovering from his knee injury that had him miss all of 2018 and the position switch to wing has enable him to use his speed with and without the ball.
SEASON STATS
Los Angeles | Seattle Sounders | |
35 | Games Played | |
22 | Wins | 18 |
4 | Losses | 10 |
9 | Draws | 8 |
90 | Goals | 58 |
40 | Goals Conceded | 52 |
485 | Shots | 346 |
241 | Shots on Target | 164 |
406 | Fouls committed | 367 |
434 | Fouls suffered | 448 |
78 | Offside | 57 |
22 | Corners | 228 |
GOALS SCORED | ||
Carlos Vela 36 | Jordan Morris 13 | |
Diego Rossi 17 | Raul Ruidiaz 12 | |
Adama Diomande 10 | Nicolas Lodeiro 8 |