As the Seattle Sounders set set to face the Houston Dynamo on Sunday at 6 p.m. PT at BBVA Compass Stadium (JOEtv, ROOT Sports, El Rey 1360AM, 770 KTTH), we take a look at the matchup by the numbers.
4 Points Cristian Roldan has in the last four matches since Brian Schmetzer became interim head coach. Roldan has also drawn two penalty kicks in that span, and had a 91.7 percent passing accuracy in the attacking half of the field vs. the Timbers on Sunday. He has been in incredible form recently, after recording just two points in his first 19 games of the season.
21 Total shots by Clint Dempsey in the last four matches after recording just 44 in his opening 13 games. The addition of Designated Player Nicolas Lodeiro has opened space in the final third of the field for Dempsey, who has five goals in his last three matches. Defenses are forced to honor the skill and technical ability of Lodeiro, which has created far more opportunities for Dempsey to work around the net.
0 Number of penalty kicks won by the Dynamo this year, good for last place and the only MLS team without one. The Sounders have been awarded three this season, with Dempsey converting two of those, including one against the Timbers on Sunday.
6 Number of penalty kicks surrendered by the Sounders this year, second most in the league. If there's a clumsy challenge in the box, especially on the likes of strong Dynamo forwards Will Bruin and Andrew Wenger, the home side might very well end its season-long PK drought.
6.53 The disparity in average possession per game between the Sounders (52.96) and Dynamo (46.43) this season. Houston likes to play wide and send long crosses into the box rather than build through the midfield, so the difference will likely be even greater for the Sounders on Wednesday, especially considering how many total touches Ozzie Alonso gets per game. The veteran defensive midfielder had a game-high 90 touches and 72 passes against the Timbers on Sunday.
15 Houston's goal assists from open play, which enters Wednesday fourth-to-last in the league. The Dynamo try and beat teams through the air and on set pieces, though they have just three headed goals this season, tied for the second-fewst in MLS.
28.07The Dynamo's crosses and corners accuracy, which is fourth-best in MLS.
193 Headed clearances by the Sounders, fourth-fewest in MLS. If Seattle can't deal with crosses bombarding the 18-yard-box, it could be a long evening for Stefan Frei in goal.
63 Dynamo's headed shots, which is third in the league.
0 The number of wins the Sounders have posted in Houston since joining MLS in 2009. Seattle went 0-2-1 at the old Robertson Stadium and are 0-1-2 at BBVAA Compass Stadium, including draws in their last two games there.
