Seattle Sounders: 2020 Preview – Back-to-back titles?

2020 Outlook

The Seattle Sounders’ preseason slate was one of the shorter ones among MLS clubs. They also had no fixtures against fellow MLS sides. The Sounders’ regular-season campaign begins on March 1st with a clash against the Chicago Fire, and they have a kind early slate as they play on home soil in six of their opening nine matches in the league.

The first of the four Cascadia Cup fixtures comes against the Vancouver Whitecaps at CenturyLink Field on April 18, before they face Portland in mid-May. The return game against the Canadian side comes in June before a home game against Portland in the final match of the mini-cup on August 22.

After their opening period of six home games in nine, the Sounders have a tricky run of six road games in eight in June and July. Their first run of three away games sees them face Vancouver, New England and the LA Galaxy. After a couple of games at CenturyLink, the Sounders then have another triple-header on the road, facing the New York Red Bulls, Atlanta United and Toronto FC. This is one of their toughest tests of the season.

Seattle’s run-in at the end of the 2020 campaign is arguably one of the easiest there is. They face both the expansion sides in their last six matches of the term, have home games against the Galaxy and San Jose, and travel to Dallas and Colorado.

Thanks to winning the MLS Cup in 2019, Seattle will enter the U.S. Open Cup in the fourth round. They will also feature in the CONCACAF Champions League, which started last week with a 2-2 draw against Olimpia in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie, and the Campeones Cup, where they face the winner of the Campeon de Campeones in Liga MX.

Having been able to keep the entirety of their attacking options, the Seattle Sounders will once again be a threat this season. Could they go back-to-back? They definitely have a shot!