Sounders' unbeaten streak at home halted at 22 matches by LA Galaxy
Of the three teams that tried to snap the Sounders' unbeaten streak at home, the rival who's won MLS championships is a proper bookend to Paris Saint-Germain - even if unwanted.
The LA Galaxy, who won their sixth league title in 2024, bullied the Sounders off the ball for a 2-0 win on a cool spring Saturday night. They became the first team to beat the Sounders at Lumen Field since the European titan won a FIFA Men's Club World Cup group-stage match on the hallowed grass in June 2025.
A string of 22 matches where the Sounders posted a 16-0-6 record at home, through all competitions.
LA also snapped its 11-match winless run in Seattle. A feat last accomplished in July 2016.
I was waiting for the shoe to drop, but (Saturday) wasn't the night that should've happened," Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said. "We didn't play up to our standards. … (LA has) been on the road for a week, and it looked like in some moments that they had fresher legs."
Galaxy midfielder Marco Reus had a perfect through ball to set up the opening goal in the 23rd minute. Gabriel Pec bolted through space in between center backs Antino Lopez and Jackson Ragen to take on keeper Andrew Thomas, who left his line. Pec aimed his left-footed shot to the bottom right corner.
The Sounders ceded first in each of their matches during the three-game homestand. But showed less aggressiveness in regaining control Saturday.
Only two of their four shots in the first half were on target, the best created by forward Danny Musovski in the fifth minute. LA was more active in the box but was held to a 1-0 lead entering the break.
"It reminds me of a couple years ago of shooting ourselves in the foot and always trying to catch up," Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan said of trailing San Diego, San Jose and LA by a goal early. The team drew against San Diego and beat San Jose.
"There's gonna be games where you just can't catch up," Roldan said. "We need to be ready because we cannot be starting games the way we are if we want to compete for Supporters' Shield."
Schmetzer started a rotated lineup due to a comeback win against San Jose on Wednesday. In the 46th minute when he subbed on Kalani Kossa-Rienzi for Peter Kingston, who was shown a yellow card in the first half, the Sounders were livelier in their attack.
Paul Arriola had a stunning header attempt in the 59th minute that Galaxy keeper JT Marcinkowski blocked midair in Arriola's face. Kossa-Rienzi helped build the play with a cross to Jesús Ferreira, who chipped a pass to Arriola at the back post.
In the 75th minute, Marcinkowski shocked the Sounders, again when he saved Albert Rusnák's laser free kick from distance.
The Galaxy (5-5-4) solidified their win in second-half stoppage time. They scooped up a bad giveaway from Ragen and got the ball in behind to Pec. The latter opted to pass to Matheus Nascimento in the box for the goal instead of taking on Thomas.
As LA celebrated, including supporters in Lumen's northeastern upper deck, a majority of the 32,659 started to file out of the stadium. Their Sounders (7-2-3) also had their overall nine-match unbeaten streak this season dissolve on the recently installed grass.
Rusnák entered the match in the 12th minute for Musovski due to a head collision with a Galaxy defender. Musovski was hit in the mouth, suffering a concussion and lost a tooth.
As Musovski walked off the field with trainers, dabbing his bloody mouth with a towel, referee Joseph Dickerson stopped him for a short conversation. But Dickerson didn't award a penalty after the contact in the box.
"It threw off our momentum for a little bit," Arriola said of witnessing Musovski's injury.
The biggest Sounders lineup change was on the back line where recent signings Lopez and Kingston replaced Alex Roldan and Kossa-Rienzi on the right side.
Alex Roldan is out with a hamstring injury. He had an MRI following Wednesday's match that showed a slight muscle strain.
"The starting group that I put out there was the intention of fresh legs and having faith in the squad," Schmetzer said. "Did that upset the rhythm? Maybe. … Trying to find some consistency. Obviously the changes I made didn't work."
Saturday was the Sounders' last match at Lumen until July. The facility is transitioning to Seattle Stadium to host six FIFA Men's World Cup matches beginning in June.
The Sounders will regroup and head to California to play Los Angeles FC on May 24 to close out play before the FIFA international break.
"(The unbeaten run) was great. It was momentum and a feeling," Arriola said. "It was a bummer for it to end, but at the end of the day, streaks are going to be broken at some point.
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This story was originally published May 16, 2026 at 11:40 PM.