Five days after being beaten 1-3 at home by Minnesota United, Los Angeles FC head to Lumen Field needing to close out the regular season on a better note. Sixth in the Western Conference with 47 points, LAFC are safely in the playoffs but their seeding is still live, sitting four points clear of seventh-place LA Galaxy. Seattle, by contrast, sit 10th on 43 points, one spot outside the top nine that earns a playoff berth in the West, and a loss here could end their postseason hopes entirely.
What’s at stake
The Western Conference sends nine teams to the playoffs, and the race for those final spots is tight. Seattle sit 10th with 43 points, level on points with Portland Timbers (8th) and Colorado Rapids (9th) but separated by tiebreakers. Los Angeles FC are safely through at sixth on 47 points, though their positioning in the bracket still matters: the gap between sixth and seventh is just three points ahead of this final regular-season round.
For the Sounders, the math is straightforward: win at home and hope results elsewhere go their way. For LAFC, the stakes are more about locking in a favorable seed than fighting for a spot, but interim boss Xavi Tamarit will want a performance after that flat showing against Minnesota.
How they got here
Seattle’s form has been wretched down the stretch. Brian Schmetzer’s side have gone L-L-D-D-L over their last five, including a 5-1 hammering at Vancouver and a 1-0 home defeat to Houston Dynamo. They have not won in five matches and have scored just four goals in that run while conceding 10. LAFC’s recent form is not much better: one win, three draws and a loss in their last five, with that 3-1 defeat to Minnesota the most damaging result of the run.
LAFC sit sixth in the Western Conference on 47 points from 33 games, comfortably above the playoff cut line. Seattle are 10th on 43 points, the same tally as Portland and Colorado, with the top nine earning automatic entry. The Sounders’ goal difference of minus-three is a problem if tiebreakers come into play.
Key battle to watch
LAFC’s attack, anchored by Son Heung-Min and Denis Bouanga, against a Seattle defensive unit that has shipped 45 goals in 33 games. The Sounders’ back line has looked particularly vulnerable on the road and in transition, and if LAFC can press with intensity from the first whistle, they should find space. Conversely, Seattle will look to capitalize on LAFC’s defensive lapses: the visitors have conceded 38 goals this season, and a team fighting for its playoff life at home is not the easiest environment to manage through.
Key Stats
Match Context
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Standings
Head To Head
Our Prediction
LAFC own a lopsided head-to-head record against Seattle, winning eight of the last 10 meetings with zero draws, and that history is hard to ignore even if their own form has been patchy. Seattle’s defensive numbers and their five-match winless run suggest this is a poor moment to need a result. LAFC are likely to have enough to take something from Lumen Field, though a sharper performance than the Minnesota disaster will be required.
Los Angeles FC
Seattle Sounders
Son Heung-Min