10/31 - Matchday 33

LA Galaxy goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski

JT Marcinkowski is having a career year for LA Galaxy. He began his career in San Jose, where he developed in the 'Quakes youth setup before playing 3 years at Georgetown. In 2018, he was signed as a homegrown for San Jose. He took over the starting role in 2021, leading the league in saves over the next couple years. 2023 was a difficult year for JT. After being replaced in net by Daniel, Marcinkowski sustained a horrific injury in a friendly, tearing his ACL, MCL, and PCL along with a dislocated kneecap. The American goalie of Polish descent persevered, working his way back to health and joining the Galaxy two years later. This season, JT has become the number 1, and he's been sensational for LA. It was a long road back to starting in net for an MLS side, but Marcinkowski's belief and desire to get back on the field has resulted in him being a major part of this LA Galaxy side.

Marcinkowski didn't enter the season as the preferred choice in net, having to win the spot off Novak Mićović. The emergence of Marcinkowski has solved the goalkeeping issue, which has haunted this team for years. Marcinkowski brings consistency to the last line of defense, a baseline that wasn't being met by his predecessors. But JT Marcinkowski is much more than consistent; he has been outstanding this year. He's 5th in the entire league in goals prevented, a measure of the quality of save. Marcinkowski also ranks high in the top 10 in saves, and is top 3 in saves per match among starters. He's comfortable coming off his line and his distribution is solid. JT Marcinkowski has been heroic at times in the Galaxy net, and his ability to keep them in games will go a long way to determining if this team will make the playoffs.

Seattle Sounders defender Kalani Kossa-Rienzi

Kalani Kossa-Rienzi is in his third season with the Seattle Sounders after joining Tacoma Defiance. He was drafted 23rd overall in the 2024 Superdraft following 4 years at University of Washington. Last season, he played more than 30 games, and he's taken another step this campaign. It's hard to get time at right back with Alex Roldan, who's been a consistent performer for the last half decade for Seattle. That being said, in the minutes that the young fullback has gotten, he has shined. Kossa-Rienzi has stepped up this season when the Sounders were struggling, chipping in with some big goals. Even when the Rave Green were in their summer slump, Kossa-Rienzi was still performing at a high level. With Yeimar injured for the rest of the season, Roldan will likely be shifted to center back, meaning that Kossa-Rienzi will be called upon in Seattle's biggest moments this season.

Tacoma Defiance has produced a lot of high level players over the past few years, and Kossa-Rienzi is near the top of the list. He brings more of an attacking profile than Roldan going forward, which is going to be important for a Seattle side that needs to score more goals. He is reliable in providing an overlapping run, which frees up more space for his wingers. However, he also pops up in very interesting spaces, which makes it hard for opposing defenses to account for him. Kossa-Rienzi has a knack for arriving in the right space at the right time, whether that be at the back post or at the top of the box. But, it's not just his attacking skillset that has impressed Schmetzer. Kossa-Rienzi is also disciplined defensively. It will be important that Kalani Kossa-Rienzi continues his excellent form this season if Seattle wants to make a postseason run.