Seattle Sounders Prepare to Face Los Angeles FC Ahead of FIFA World Cup Break

The Seattle Sounders and host Los Angeles FC both aim for a positive result this Sunday night, just before the six-week pause for the FIFA World Cup.

The Sounders (7-2-3, 24 points) recently had their nine-match unbeaten streak in MLS (6-0-3) broken with a 2-0 loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy last weekend.

“We learned some things from that game, and it’s not fun when you’re learning things and losing points that you feel like you should be earning,” said midfielder Paul Rothrock, who leads the Sounders with four goals in league play. “I think this last weekend was a slice of humble pie for us.”

Forward Danny Musovski had to exit the match against the Galaxy after losing a tooth in the sixth minute, but he will be available for selection on Sunday. Defender Alex Roldan (hamstring) remains questionable, as noted by coach Brian Schmetzer.

Defensively, the Sounders have given up just 10 goals this season, tied for the fewest in the league; however, half of those have occurred in the last three matches.

Meanwhile, LAFC (6-5-3, 21 points) is struggling, having lost its last three league matches and winning just once in its past eight games (1-5-2). This performance has raised concerns about coach Marc Dos Santos’ future with the team.

Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who set a record by starting the season with six consecutive shutouts, missed last weekend’s 3-2 loss to Nashville SC due to an undisclosed leg injury and is not expected to play on Sunday. Thomas Hasal made his second start of 2026, allowing three goals and managing only one save.

Despite the team’s struggles, Son Heung-Min leads the league with nine assists but has yet to find the back of the net. “I don’t think the problem is with the coach’s tactics. Recently, we’ve had some bad luck, and opposing goalkeepers have made many saves,” Son told the U.S. edition of Goal. “Ultimately, the biggest responsibility lies with me. I can’t blame anyone else. I haven’t lost the feeling for scoring goals. I’m not too worried about the current dry spell.”

Denis Bouanga tops LAFC in goal contributions with 11 (six goals, five assists), while David Martinez has scored five times.

Historically, LAFC has never lost a regular-season game at home against the Sounders (8-0-1) and has won the past five matchups, although Seattle has secured two playoff victories at BMO Stadium.