CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy ended the preseason with a 4-0 loss to Seattle Sounders FC in a closed-door scrimmage at a rainy StubHub Center on Wednesday night.
Andres Ivanschitz tallied a brace while Chad Marshall and Clint Dempsey also scored for the Sounders in their preseason victory.
The match was played amid torrential rain that soaked the StubHub Center pitch making the surface tough for both teams to play on.
Los Angeles controlled the run of play early, creating several opportunities in the opening 15 minutes that were snuffed out by the wet StubHub Center surface. The Galaxy’s closest opportunity came on seven minutes when Robbie Keane found his way behind the Seattle defense only to see his shot saved by Seattle ‘keeper Stefan Frei.
Seattle opened the scoring against the run of play in the 22nd minute when Ivanschitz launched a hard left-footed shot from 25 yards that beat Galaxy goalkeeper Brian Rowe at the far post. The Sounders doubled their lead in the 27th minute when Brad Evans played a back heel to Chad Marshall for a close-range finish.
Down by two, Keane nearly cut Seattle’s lead in half with a chance from close range that was stopped with a one-handed save by Frei. The Galaxy appeared to have a penalty in the 45th minute when Marshall brought down Steven Gerrard in the box only for the referee to keep his whistle in his pocket.
Seattle bagged a third goal just two minutes into the second half when the Sounders caught the Galaxy defense up field, as Jordan Morris connected with Dempsey in the penalty area for the finish. The Sounders added a fourth goal in the 57th minute when Morris connected with Ivanschitz, who slotted home his second goal of the evening.
The Galaxy will need to dust themselves off their next match when they open up their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series with Santos Laguna on Feb. 24 at StubHub Center. Los Angeles will then host D.C. United on March 6 in their Major League Soccer regular season opener.
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at www.LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
