Battered Seattle Sounders Look to Take Three Points from Sporting KC
A vital three point will be on the line for the battered Seattle Sounders as they travel to Kansas City to take on Sporting KC in a crucial road match.
On Sunday, July 24th, the Seattle Sounders will take on Sporting Kansas City for the second time this season. Their first meeting happened near the beginning of the season, and the Sounders came off worse for it, losing 1-0. Sigi and the Sounders will have some line-up adjustments to make for this match, and will be looking for a positive outcome utilizing the resources available.
Ozzie Alonso will not be featured in the line-up, serving a one game suspension for yellow card accumulation. Clint Dempsey will be travelling fresh, however, after serving his red card suspension he picked up in against FC Dallas. Aaron Kovar will also not be available due to a possible broken collar-bone injury picked up in the 4-2 USOC loss versus LA Galaxy last Wednesday.
What to Look For
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Kansas City is in the middle of a heatwave, which will absolutely effect the match come Sunday. With temperatures going as high as 98 degrees, expect some sluggish play from both sides. I predict that Sigi will slot in Cristian Roldan in place of Ozzie Alonso. While not anywhere near an equal substitute, Roldan has been able to shine in the last handful of matches, and is certainly playing well enough to earn himself a starting position.
Sporting KC has a fairly capable defense, but have lately seen some issues with Ike Opara. Opara, a U.S. National Team hopeful, has recently let SKC down with poor decisions in the backfield on two separate occasions. If this happens early in the match, expect Clint Dempsey or Jordan Morris to capitalize.
Seattle will have to rely more heavily on the wings for attack, due to Alonso being out, who leads the league in passes and passing accuracy. Roldan will most likely be a key distributor to the sides, hoping to get forward to the corners. This tactic hasn’t been a hugely successful one for Seattle, but in the heat of this match, it may pay off.
Teams By the Numbers
Seattle is currently 9th in the Western Conference. They have 20 points in 19 games, with 6 wins, 2 draws, and 11 loses. They also have the worst goal differential in the Western Conference. With only 20 goals for them this MLS season, and 24 against them, they have a -4 difference. This highlights their struggle to finish chances.
Sporting KC sits 7th in the Western Conference, having earned 28 points in their 22 games. SKC has a record of 8 wins, 4 draws, and 10 losses. Their goal differential is -1, allowing 25 goals for their 24 goals scored. This is certainly not much better than the Sounders, who can absolutely capitalize against an inconsistent Sporting KC squad.