The Seattle Sounders are hosting Sporting Kansas City on Saturday in a colossal clash atop the Western Conference. Here is everything you need to know:
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 12:30 p.m. PT at Lumen Field (TICKETS).
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be televised on Univision, Twitter, Fox 13+ and Prime Video.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The match will air on 950 KJR AM and El Rey 1360AM.
2021 RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Seattle: 17-6-7 (58 points, 1st West), SKC: 15-7-7 (52 points, 2nd West)
PREVIOUS MEETINGS: Sporting KC came to Seattle on July 25 and won 3-1 before the Sounders exacted revenge in Kansas City on Sept. 26 and came away 2-1 winners.
FORM GUIDE (most recent first): Sounders: DLWWW, Sporting: LWWLW
HEAVY METTLE: Four of the Sounders’ final 10 matches this season are against the second- and third-place teams in the Western Conference in Sporting Kansas City and the Colorado Rapids. So far, the Sounders have taken an impressive seven out of a possible nine points and will have a chance to all but solidify the top spot in the West with a result on Saturday.
CRISTIAN CRUISING: No one is in better form for the Sounders right now more than Cristian Roldan, who has scored in five of his last six matches for Seattle in all competitions. His late equalizer against the Rapids in a 1-1 road draw midweek brought a massive point back to Seattle.
MORRIS MAYBE?: Head Coach Brian Schmetzer has teased the possibility of Jordan Morris returning to the matchday roster this past week. The 2020 MLS Best XI attacker injured his ACL in February while on loan with Swansea City, but he has worked his way back to full training just in time to rejoin his teammates down the stretch run of the season and playoffs.
WELL RESTED: Sporting come into this weekend as one of only three teams in MLS to have had the midweek off, giving them more time to recover and prepare for their road clash in Seattle. SKC didn’t fare well in their recent trip to the Pacific Northwest, however, as they fell 2-1 at the Vancouver Whitecaps last weekend.
TWO-HEADED MONSTER: Sporting KC have scored the second-most goals in MLS this season with 52, and 27 of them have come from either Daniel Salloi (16) or Johnny Russell (11). Russell has scored in each of the teams’ two prior meetings this year, while Salloi opened the scoring in Seattle a few months ago.
PULIDO A NO-GO: SKC’s big-money Designated Player Alan Pulido has eight goals this season, but he has missed about a third of the year while battling injuries. He just underwent knee surgery last week and is expected to be sidelined for roughly a month.
