Sounders begin busy 3-match week with home game against Galaxy

The Sounders continue their fixture congestion with a match against the LA Galaxy on Sunday. Seattle is returning to Lumen Field after a two-game road trip against Eastern Conference opponents and is headed into a three-game week.

Momentum is high even if legs are wary. The Sounders collected their second win of the season with a 3-2 result against the Philadelphia Union on Tuesday.

Here’s a look at Sunday’s match:

The details

Sounders (2-5-3) vs LA Galaxy (5-2-3)

Time/place: 3:45 p.m. Sunday at Lumen Field, Seattle.

TV: Apple TV (free) and FS1.

Radio: 93.3 KJR FM in English and El Rey 1360 AM in Spanish.

Series history: The Sounders lead the all-time series 19-17-13 since 2009.

Here are the storylines:

Is LA vulnerable?

The Galaxy stumbled in their last outing — a 2-0 road loss against Austin FC. LA maestro Riqui Puig was shown a yellow card and is suspended for the match against Seattle for accumulation. Striker Dejan Joveljic (thigh) is out due to injury. Joveljic leads the team in goals with six while Puig has four assists.

The side still has winger Joseph Paintsil, who hasn’t missed a start and has four goals with four assists this season. Also available is winger Gabriel Pec, whose goal in the fourth minute handed the Sounders a 1-0 loss in LA in March.

Seattle will have to deal with the potent offense without right back Alex Roldan. He’s suspended due to being shown a red card in a loss to Vancouver in April.

Long awaited debut?

Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said Reed Baker-Whiting will be on the bench Sunday. The midfielder suffered a hamstring injury in the playoff loss to Los Angeles FC in November and suffered some setbacks along with a bout of pneumonia that delayed his return.

Baker-Whiting was scratching at showing his versatility as a fullback and winger last season. The Sounders have a three-game week that includes a U.S. Open Cup match against Louisville City FC on Wednesday. Baker-Whiting being available will help balance minutes within the squad.

Quotable

“They’re super fast up front,” Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas said of LA even without Puig and Joveljic. “If we get caught in counterattacks, it’s going to be a rough game. [We’ve looked] at the video on them and see their strengths and also see their weaknesses because they’ve allowed a goal in [nearly] every game. If we can be strong defensively, I know we have enough quality to score some goals on them.”