Five things we’ll be watching when Sounders visit LAFC

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports What once looked like a comfortable spot atop the Western Conference now appears to be a bit more precarious. The Seattle Sounders come into tonight’s game on a three-game winless run, tied for their longest of the season, while LAFC are unbeaten in four straight.

Here’s what we’ll be particularly interested in watching:

The João Paulo-sized hole

One of the multiple frustrating things that happened on Saturday was that João Paulo picked up another yellow card, which means he’ll be suspended for the match against LAFC. There are a couple of different options that the Sounders have at their disposal to fill the JP-sized hole in the middle of the field. The first…