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Los Angeles Galaxy vs Seattle Sounders: Three things to watch

Three things to watch for as the Los Angeles Galaxy host the Seattle Sunders on Sunday afternoon at the StubHub Center.

The Los Angeles Galaxy play hosts to the Seattle Sounders on Sunday afternoon.
The Los Angeles Galaxy play hosts to the Seattle Sounders on Sunday afternoon.
John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

With the Major League Soccer regular season winding down, each point is vital. Here are three things to watch for when the Los Angeles Galaxy welcome the Seattle Sounders to town:

1. Brian Rowe's inconsistency

There are two different Brian Rowe's for the LA Galaxy. There's the one at home who makes fantastic saves and takes complete command of the box. Then, there's the one who plays on the road, gives away the simplest of goals and loses concentration in key moments.

At home, Brian Rowe has not lost a match at the StubHub since the debacle against the Portland Timbers when they lost 5-2 after giving up five goals in the second half. That record is quite phenomenal. While home teams do win more times than not, any goalkeeper would be proud of that record.

The Brian Rowe on the road is what is quite concerning. Against Real Salt Lake three and a half weeks ago, the Los Angeles Galaxy could have come away with a big three points in a tough place to play. That would have been a huge momentum boost for everyone in the club. However, Rowe made two huge mistakes to as the Galaxy dropped two points late.

Which Brian Rowe is going to show up tomorrow afternoon? That will be key against a Seattle Sounders side looking for every point available.

2. Landon Donovan's fitness

Needless to say, the signing of Landon Donovan has already paid dividends. His goal against Sporting Kansas City last weekend was vintage Donovan. He had time and space inside the box to place a perfect shot, curling the ball with his left foot beyond the SKC goalkeeper and into the bottom left hand corner of the goal.

But Donovan is not in the best soccer shape, and he even admitted it a couple of times before to several different media outlets. On Sunday, the weather is supposed to be in the low 90s. The heat, along with Donovan's lack of fitness could see him on the bench for longer than expected.

3. Sebastian Lletget's emergence in the midfield

The move to put Sebastian Lletget into a center midfield role was a bit strange when first witnessed. Lletget is known for playing out wide, using his pace to get around defenders before playing a great cross to a teammate. However, in the absence of Steven Gerrard, this switch in roles has worked out seamlessly.

He likes to take on defenders one on one and this draws central defenders out of position. If his his teammates make good runs into the area, then Lletget can find them quickly with a pass. The 24-year-old has all the makings to be a solid central midfielder in the league for years to come and this is only the beginning for him.

Make sure to tune into tomorrow's match as proceedings are set to get underway at the StubHub Center at 1:00 PM PST. You can watch it live on ESPN or streaming at watchESPN.com.