Off the back of a quarter-final exit from the Leagues Cup, Seattle Sounders return to action in MLS when they journey to Allianz Field to take on Minnesota United on Saturday evening.
This will be the second meeting between the two sides within the space of six weeks after the Sounders picked up a 2-0 victory in their Leagues Cup group-stage clash on July 27 courtesy of late goals from Jordan Morris and Paul Rothrock.
Match preview
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Minnesota United endured a heart-breaking Leagues Cup campaign as they suffered a group-stage exit after finishing third in Group F despite picking up three points from a possible six.
The Loons fell to a 2-0 defeat against Seattle Sounders in the group opener on July 27, and while they secured a 1-0 win over Club Necaxa four days later, they suffered an early exit from the competition as they finished third on goal difference.
Eric Ramsay's men now turn their attention to MLS, where they have failed to win nine of their last 10 games, losing seven and picking up two draws while conceding 21 goals and keeping two clean sheets since the second weekend in June.
Minnesota's only win in that time came just before the start of the Leagues Cup as they edged out San Jose Earthquakes 2-0 on July 21 thanks to a first-half own goal from Tanner Beason and Bongokuhle Hlongwane's 75th-minute strike.
While the Loons will be looking to pick up where they left off against Necaxa and secure back-to-back league wins for the first time since May, next up is the stern challenge of taking on an opposing side whom they have failed to get the better of in any of their last seven encounters, losing six and claiming one draw since a 1-0 victory in July 2021.
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Seattle Sounders, on the other hand, saw their Leagues Cup journey come to an end last Sunday when they suffered a 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Los Angeles FC in the quarter-finals.
Despite finishing with less than 40% of the ball possession, the Black and Gold were rewarded for their ruthlessness in front of goal as Ryan Hollingshead, Kei Kamara and Denis Bouanga all found the back of the net in an impressive attacking display.
Having finished second in Group F, Seattle picked up a 3-1 victory over MLS rivals Los Angeles Galaxy in the round of 32 on August 9, four days before cruising to a 4-0 win over Mexican outfit Pumas at Lumen Field.
Brian Schmetzer's men now return to action in MLS, where they are unbeaten in seven of their last eight matches — picking up six wins and one draw — with a 3-0 defeat against Los Angeles FC on July 21 being the exception.
With 37 points from 25 matches, Seattle are currently seventh in the Western Conference standings, level on points with sixth-placed Houston Dynamo and four points above Saturday's hosts in ninth place.
Team News
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Minnesota United remain without the services of experienced midfielder Wil Trapp, who steps up his recovery after coming off injured against Portland Timbers on June 30.
He is joined on the club's injury table by American defender DJ Taylor, who continues his spell on the sidelines after suffering a leg injury in July.
Albert Rusnak had a quiet game against Los Angeles FC last Sunday, but the 30-year-old, who has 17 goal involvements across all competitions for Seattle Sounders, will be one to keep an eye on.
He should be joined at the centre of the park by Obed Vargas and Joao Paulo while Cristian Roldan, Rothrock and 29-year-old striker Morris, who has nine league goals, should lead the attack.
At the defensive end of the pitch, Alex Roldan, Yeimar Gomez Andrade, Jackson Ragen and Nouhou Tolo should form the back four once again, with skipper Stefan Frei starting between the sticks.
Minnesota United possible starting lineup:
Smir; Jeong, Harvey, Duggan, Tapias, Padelford; Bran, Dotson, Rosales; Lod, Hlongwane
Seattle Sounders possible starting lineup:
Frei; Roldan, Andrade, Ragen, Tolo; Vargas, Paulo, Rusnak; Roldan, Rothrock, Morris
We say: Minnesota United 2-2 Seattle Sounders
Minnesota United go up against a Seattle Sounders side who are unbeaten in 15 of their last 16 encounters and will need to be at their best to end their poor run in this fixture. However, we predict that Schmetzer's men will frustrate the efforts of the hosts and force a share of the spoils.
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