Although there were a few flares of hope in the second half, particularly Steve Zakuani’s goal and Freddie Ljungberg’s near-miss, the own-goal by James Riley closed down any hope of the Sounders coming away from LA with a win.
Seattle now returns home, but will meet the Galaxy again in just three days. The Sounders play an Open Cup match against LA at Starfire on Wednesday, July 7th.
From the tone in Sigi Schmid’s voice when he spoke with Arlo White 30 minutes into the match, it’s clear that the Sounders coach knows that there is a significant problem on the field. The midfield couldn’t keep possession, and, save for a couple smart moves from Jeff Park and almost-flawless defending by Leo Gonzalez, the defense is almost laughable. While Schmid has next to no options remaining in defense, we should expect to see changes elsewhere on the field. With any luck, Vagenas and Noonan will remain on the bench for the Open Cup match.