Seattle, LAFC center focus on rival after hectic start to 2025

Hectic is a fair description of the start of the 2025 season for Los Angeles FC and the Seattle Sounders.

Both had midweek games in the second round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. LAFC defeated Columbus 3-0 behind two goals from Denis Bouanga and the Sounders played to a scoreless draw with Liga MX heavyweight Cruz Azul. B

But nothing else seems to matter when the Western Conference rivals square off. The collide Saturday afternoon in Seattle.

LAFC (2-0-0, six points) has won each of his first two MLS matches by 1-0 shutouts, with a newfound defensive mentality the norm after it lost three of its top four scorers in the offseason.

"It's one of the things that we were highlighting this offseason and for sure this preseason. We want to get back to being a club that does not let goals in," LAFC defender Ryan Hollingshead said. "Going back to the identity this year of our backline being solid, keeping clean sheets. And you can see it (at) the beginning of this season. If we have to win games 1-0 we have to be ready to do that. And we have. We've proven we can. That needs to be part of the DNA of this team, not relying on three, four goals a game."

LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo, a former U.S. national team defender, joked he's gotten "more gray hair" since last season.

"If you have hard-working players, players who understand the do's and do nots of defending and our principals at LAFC, you're going to have a team that's hard to beat," Cherundolo said. "Certainly not conceding many shots on goal is a plus. I have nothing against continuing down that path."

LAFC still has Bouanga up top, who was the league's Golden Boot Award winner in 2023.

Los Angeles will be seeking a measure of revenge against a Sounders side that knocked it out of the MLS playoffs in the Western Conference semifinals last season as Jordan Morris scored in overtime.

Morris, who tallied twice in a season-opening 2-2 draw with Charlotte FC, has 86 goals in all competitions for the Sounders, tied with Raul Ruidaiz for the franchise record.

The Sounders (0-1-1, 1 point) are off to another uneven start in MLS play, conceding an own goal in each of their first two matches.

"The start to our league season hasn't been great, there's been a couple of mistakes," Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said after Wednesday's CONCACAF draw at home. "The games are so close together, we can't train a ton on the field. But we made sure we did our jobs to make sure we saw the things we wanted to improve on defensively. Those guys have a lot of pride in what they do, so I give a lot of credit to them."

--Field Level Media