The Seattle Sounders return to Lumen Field on Wednesday with a chance to maintain their two-point advantage atop the Western Conference standings of Major League Soccer when they host Austin FC.
Seattle ended a three-match winless run in all competitions last Saturday by blanking the Houston Dynamo 1-0, while the Verde and Black have not won in eight successive MLS affairs, falling 1-0 to Dallas in their previous encounter.
Match preview
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You cannot keep the Rave Green down for long, and after a series of subpar performances, Brian Schmetzer saw his team get back on track last weekend, capitalising from a man advantage and scoring the winner just a few minutes before the final whistle blew.
Four of the following five domestic affairs for them will take place in Seattle, where the Sounders are coming off a 2-1 defeat versus Sporting Kansas City, their only loss at home all year and the only time they have conceded at Lumen Field in 2023.
That was the third time this season that the Rave Green had conceded the opening goal and the second time in which they have lost in that situation, with Seattle winless in their previous six league fixtures when facing a second-half deficit.
They have yet to lose an MLS encounter to the Verde and Black, while they have not given up a goal to them at Lumen Field, beating them 3-0 a season ago and holding them to a 0-0 draw in 2021.
It is no surprise to see them among the best defensive units in the league, conceding the second-fewest goals in the Western Conference (nine), though they have been inexplicably sloppy in some matches this year, conceding four unanswered goals against the Portland Timbers, while a third of their goals allowed this season have been against the joint lowest-scoring side in MLS (3/9 versus Sporting KC).
Nine Sounders players have found the back of the net during the current campaign, while eight have at least one goal involvement, a sign of how deep this team is.
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Fresh off a franchise record-setting regular season from 2022, Austin have been unable to duplicate that success so far this year, with a mere 10 points from 11 league fixtures, half as many as they had at this stage of their previous campaign.
Since exiting the CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) versus Haitian side Violette in the middle of March, this team have dropped further down the domestic table, currently sitting 12th, two points back of a playoff berth in the Western Conference.
Josh Wolff has seen his group squander five points when leading in the second half this year, while they are winless in four successive road games in this competition, failing to score in three of those outings.
Their defensive deficiencies have been evident since the start of the season, with the Verde and Black conceding the second-most goals in the Western Conference (17), while giving up multiple strikes in each of their previous four domestic encounters.
Austin have conceded 12 times in the second half this year, eight of which have come with fewer than 20 minutes remaining, including last Saturday in their Copa Tejas clash with the Toros when Jesus Ferreira scored an 89th-minute winner.
They were among the deadliest squads in the attacking third last year, scoring the third-most goals during the regular season (65), but they have not shown nearly as much quality so far in 2023, tied for the second-fewest goals scored in the Western Conference (10) and without a goal in five league fixtures.
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Team News
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Obed Vargas missed the last encounter for Seattle after being selected for the United States Under-20 squad for the upcoming World Cup, Nouhou Tolo was sick, Kelyn Rowe had a left knee sprain, Cristian Roldan was kept out due to concussion protocol, Leo Chu sat out with a left mid-foot sprain and Raul Ruidiaz is dealing with an injured right hamstring.
Paul Rothrock scored his first career MLS goal in his league debut last weekend, netting just four minutes after replacing fellow substitute Ethan Dobbelaere, Dylan Teves made his first start of the season, Cody Baker picked up his first career league start and Stefan Frei registered his league-leading seventh clean sheet of the campaign.
Their leading goalscorer Jordan Morris, who is one back of Denis Bouanga for the Golden Boot (eight), is seeking his first in MLS since April 1, while Yeimar Gomez is third in the league regarding interceptions (26), behind only Yerson Mosquera of FC Cincinnati and Andres Reyes from the New York Red Bulls.
Last week, Austin midfielder Owen Wolff was called up to the US Under-20 squad for the World Cup, Sebastian Driussi, who was the runner-up for MLS MVP in 2022, is out with a left adductor strain, Zan Kolmanic has an injured right ACL and Rodney Redes will not be available after receiving two early cautions in the second half last weekend.
Jon Gallagher has been one of the few bright spots for the Verde and Black this season, leading the team in goals with four, one of which came in their previous road contest at the Portland Timbers, which they drew 2-2 thanks to a 92nd-minute equaliser from ex-Sounders striker Will Bruin.
Former centre-back Ruben Gabrielsen had an own-goal in their 3-0 defeat away to the Rave Green last season, while Diego Fagundez had the only strike for them versus Seattle in 2022, netting 20 minutes from the end when the two sides met last March, helping them earn a 1-1 draw.
Seattle Sounders possible starting lineup:
Frei; A. Roldan, Gomez, Ragen, Baker; Rusnak, Paulo; Teves, Lodeiro, Morris; Montero
Austin FC possible starting lineup:
Stuver; Radovanovic, Vaisanen, Cascante, Lima; Ring; Gallagher, Valencia, Fagundez; Urruti, Bruin
We say: Seattle Sounders 2-0 Austin FC
Austin have made it far too easy for opposing teams to attack them throughout the campaign, as their centre-backs have often been manhandled, and without Driussi, they are lacking creativity and quality when in possession.
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