Starting XI

Jon Kempin; Bradley Diallo, Dave Romney, Daniel Steres, Ashley Cole; Jermaine Jones, Jonathan dos Santos; Romain Alessandrini, Giovani dos Santos, Emmanuel Boateng; Gyasi Zardes.

Substitutions (will confirm seven): Brian Rowe, Hugo Arellano, Rafael Garcia, João Pedro, Jack McInerney, Bradford Jamieson IV, Ariel Lassiter.

Lineup notes

• The Galaxy will travel north to the land of fish markets, gum walls and rain to face Seattle Sounders FC at CenturyLink Field this Sunday.
• Head Coach Sigi Schmid, the winningest coach in MLS history, will coach his seventh contest since taking over as head coach. He will make two changes to the starting XI as Jonathan and Giovani dos Santos return to the starting lineup in place of João Pedro and Bradford Jamieson IV.
• In net, Jon Kempin will make his fifth start in net for the LA Galaxy as Schmid continues with the 24-year-old keeper, most recently recording the team’s first shutout in over a month. In his career, Kempin has made 11 appearances and 10 starts total between LA and SKC. This year, he has two of the Galaxy’s five shutouts on the seasons despite starting just four previous games.
• At right back, the versatile Bradley Diallo will continue in place of the injured Pele van Anholt. This year, Diallo has played in multiple spots along the backline and filled in well when called upon.
• Dave Romney will continue in central defense following the departure of Jelle Van Damme last month. Romney is one of the Galaxy’s most versatile defenders and has stepped up in the backline this year. He was Galaxy II’s first-ever player to sign with the LA Galaxy.
• Next to Romney is fellow Galaxy II product Daniel Steres, who has been the most consistent field player for LA since signing with the team prior to the start of last season. Overall, Steres has made 51 appearances for LA since last year, the most of any field player.
• On the left, the ageless and ever-competitive Ashley Cole will make the start, his 22^nd of the season and the 47^th of his MLS career. Cole has once again been among the best left backs in the league this season.
• In central defense, Jermaine Jones will command the center of the field after finding improved form under Sigi Schmid. Jones has been disciplined and has looked at his best in recent weeks for the Galaxy.
• Alongside Jones is Jonathan dos Santos, who fills into the Starting XI after missing the last match due to international duty with Mexico. Dos Santos has made three previous starts for the Galaxy and looks poised to become one of MLS’ top midfielders.
• Out wide on the right, he’s French, he’s handsome and he’s a brand-new father: Romain Alessandrini. Romain has tallied nine goals and nine assists, leading the Galaxy in both categories, and is coming off of a match that saw him notch both a goal and an assist.
• In the center of the offense is Giovani dos Santos, who makes the start fresh off of his 100^th appearance for Mexico, where he forced the goal in a 1-1 draw against Costa Rica. Dos Santos is second on the team with six goals in MLS this year.
• On the left is the very-fast-but-also-really-very-small Emmanuel Boateng, who is coming off of one of his strongest performances of the season last week that saw him tally his fourth goal of the year. Boateng will be the fastest player on the field Sunday.
• Up top is Gyasi Zardes, who is coming off of his undoubtedly best outing of the year that saw him score his first goal of the season while notching an assist against Colorado. Zardes will look to bring that momentum into CenturyLink Field Sunday against Seattle.

Game notes

• The Galaxy return to action after snapping their longest winless streak of the season with a dominant 3-0 win over Colorado Rapids at StubHub Center on Saturday.
• The Galaxy still hold one of the conference’s strongest away winning percentage, boasting a 5-6-1 record in 2017.
• LA are unbeaten in their last three trips to CenturyLink Field, most recently collecting a 1-1 draw against Seattle on July 9, 2016.
• All-time, the Galaxy are 9-6-8 against the Sounders and 4-3-4 against them on the road.
• This season, LA are 0-1-1 against Seattle, most recently turning in a 0-0 draw in Sigi Schmid’s first game in charge of the Galaxy.
• The Galaxy are 5-1-0 when scoring the first goal this season and 5-2-0 when leading the game at halftime.
• Conversely, LA have gone 2-13-2 when conceding first and are 1-9-1 in matches when trailing at the half.

Storylines

• Can the Galaxy continue with momentum from their 3-0 win over Colorado?
• Will the Galaxy make up ground in the MLS standings with a result in Seattle?
• Can Sigi Schmid get a win against his former team Sunday?
• Will Gyasi find the back of the net for the second-straight game?
• How will a nearly full-strength Galaxy lineup fare on the road?
• Is the gum wall in Seattle overrated?

Ben E. King Lyrics

When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see
No, I won't be afraid
Oh, I won't be afraid
Just as long as LA stands
Stands by me
So darlin', darlin'
Stand by me, oh, stand by me
Oh, stand, stand by me
Stand by me
If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall
Or the mountain should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry
No, I won't shed a tear
Just as long as LA stands
Stands by me
And darlin', darlin'
Stand by me, oh, stand by me
Oh, stand now, stand by me
Stand by me
– Ben E. King (1961)