LA Galaxy, Seattle Sounders battle for MLS Cup hosting rights: ‘We just want to win’

One more step and there is the chance to win the MLS Cup at home.

When Seattle Sounders FC visit the LA Galaxy for the Western Conference Finals on Saturday night (10 p.m. ET | MLS season ticket), they will compete to host the MLS Cup presented by Audi on December 7.

The winner will welcome the Eastern Conference champion, either Orlando City SC or the New York Red Bulls.

“You have two teams with championship pedigree. The biggest moment these two teams could play against each other is this. It’s in a Western Conference final, and any time you have that formula, it can rekindle a rivalry,” said Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney this week.

– It will be a tough match for both teams.

Saturday marks the first time the two sides have met in the Western Conference finals since 2014, the last time the five-time champion Galaxy lifted the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy.

Now this edition comes with both sides with vastly different approaches.

Seattle was the best defensive team in the regular season, conceding 35 goals in MLS. Meanwhile, the Galaxy’s high-octane attack has scored a record 15 goals in three Audi MLS Cup Playoffs games – just two short of the all-time postseason mark set by Toronto FC in 2016.

To reach this point, the Sounders edged Houston Dynamo FC via two penalty shootouts in their Round 1 Best-of-3 Series before beating perennial bogeymen LAFC 2-1 in the Conference Semifinals.

The Galaxy have enjoyed an attacking explosion against the Colorado Rapids and Minnesota United FC, entering Saturday’s showdown on the back of a dominant 6-2 conference semifinal victory over the Loons.

“When you talk about Seattle and the playoffs at this time of year, you talk about the culture they have in the clubhouse, the grit, the resilience, the maturity. They’ve played in a lot of big games and won a lot of big games,” added Vanney, who had plenty of experience against the Sounders from his days leading Toronto, including an MLS Cup triumph in 2017.

“The culture is set with these guys. They work and they grind and they make things difficult.”

For LA, it’s a chance to return to the MLS highlight.

Their strong attack, led by Riqui Puig, Gabriel Pec, Joseph Paintsil and Dejan Joveljić, has propelled them through the playoffs. Against a stingy Seattle side, they will once again rely on their stars.

“We have to find ways to break them down,” Vanney said. “We’ll have to be cool with our scoring chances and finish our chances when we have them.”

On Seattle’s end, it returns to a playoff stage that they have visited regularly. They qualified for four MLS Cups from 2016-20, winning twice.

“I think we all know who everybody wants to win and who everybody expects to win,” homegrown midfielder Obed Vargas said. “We take it as motivation. We have full confidence in ourselves.

“We always knew we were a good team. We always knew we could go far. It was just a matter of making things click and showing it.”

Despite being the underdog, Seattle’s defensive foundation could be the difference. Veteran goalkeeper Stefan Frei has made 15 saves across his past two games, while MLS defender nominee Jackson Ragen has kept the back line down.

Now the mission is clear: head down to SoCal for the second time in as many weeks, shut down the “Killa P’s” and secure a chance to play for a trophy at home.

“For everybody, we just want to win. We’re all competitive, we’re all athletes,” defensive end Jon Bell said.

“We know there are two games left for the ultimate goal, which is to win the MLS Cup, but we’re taking it one game at a time.”