The Seattle Sounders do the double against the LA Galaxy to book themselves a spot in the Leagues Cup final and sentence the Galaxy to hoping for a best-case third place finish.
The only thing left to save LA’s horrific season is a potential spot in next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup .
The LA Galaxy’s rematch with the Seattle Sounders did not go as planned for the reigning MLS champs.
They showed flashes of potential in their Leagues Cup quarterfinal win against C.F. Pachuca and a 3-0 win against Colorado on August 23rd, but the Galaxy must have left their ambition in the Rocky Mountains.
Seattle started the game with all of the energy that their rivals lacked, immediately getting stuck in and making fouls to prevent the Galaxy from finding any momentum. It didn’t take long for Seattle to look threatening either, as a brilliant chance in the 5th minute didn’t get the finish it deserved.
Unfortunately for the Galaxy, Seattle wasn’t about to let them off that easy.
They came back again in the 7th minute and capitalized when the Galaxy’s entire backline fell asleep while Paul Rothrock pounced on a rebound, allowing Pedro de la Vega to score Seattle’s opener.
The Sounders then continued the gameplan that served them so well in their 4-0 win over the Galaxy on August 10th, using an incredibly organized press to neutralize Marco Reus, Gabriel Pec, and Joseph Paintsil.
Mauricio Cuevas on the overlap was the Galaxy’s only real threat.
He did well to create a shot for himself in the 20th minute, followed up by a dangerous cross that Pec decided not to capitalize on in the 27th. The effort did win a corner, which resulted in the Galaxy’s best shot of the night from Diego Fagundez some 25 yards out, but even that wasn’t enough to beat Sounders keeper Andrew Thomas.
Seattle continued to be as disciplined as ever until they forced another error from the Galaxy defense.
Osaze De Rosario bullied Zanka to score off of what should have been a manageable rainbow flick inside the box in the 57th minute.
Riqui Puig watched from the sidelines as Greg Vanney wasn’t able to unlock Seattle with the tools he had at his disposal. The scoreline remained unchanged and the Sounders stamped their tickets to next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup and the Leagues Cup final against Inter Miami, who advanced in their now almost typical controversial fashion.
As for the Galaxy, their season will end before the summer turns to fall.
Their last truly meaningful game will take place on August 31st when they take on the chagrined Orlando City SC in the Leagues Cup third-place match. The winner will earn the Leagues Cup’s third and final Concacaf Champions League spot, something the Galaxy must win to avoid further humiliation on the continental level.
As last year’s MLS champions they do technically still have a chance for silverware in the form of the Campeones Cup final against Deportivo Toluca FC on October 10th, but as a trophy with little prestige and no relevance for international tournament qualification, the Galaxy will earn nothing besides some bragging rights against a Liga MX team even if they do win.
Leagues Cup was the LA Galaxy’s true shot of redeeming this embarrassment of a season. Unfortunately, shameful defending and an inability to challenge the Seattle Sounders’ dominance over them has sentenced the Galaxy to battle for the chance to at least hope for some intercontinental success in 2026.
The Galaxy can’t come into the third place match with the same energy they did against Seattle as Orlando will compete for the final CCL spot with some fire in their belly following their controversial loss to Messi and friends in their semifinal. They will have every chance of beating Vanney’s team like they did back in March, especially if the defending doesn’t improve quickly.
Greg Vanney may consider giving some of Zanka’s minutes to Chris Rondov, who made his Galaxy debut in the 3-0 win over Colorado. Rondo looked bright alongside a young lineup in a dominant game which saw 18-year-old Harbor Miller and 22-year-old Elijah Wynder score their first MLS goals.
An injection of energy and competition could very well be the spark that this Galaxy team needs to avoid further embarrassments. Greg Vanney currently has no other recourse besides continuing to play the same players who have repeatedly let him down thanks to the scouting work done in the previous offseasons.
While there may still be one or two things left for the Galaxy to play for, their season is over as far as many fans are concerned. All eyes are on the front office, who have the opportunity to either immediately bring this team back to a championship caliber in 2026 or maintain the standard of this disastrous 2025.
PHOTO: Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images//Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
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