Sports Mole previews Thursday’s MLS clash between Seattle Sounders and San Diego, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Looking to gain ground in the race for the Supporters’ Shield in MLS, in-form San Diego will travel to face Seattle Sounders at Lumen Field on Wednesday.
The Sounders will be hoping to record back-to-back wins for the second time this month, while SDFC will be aiming to extend their unbeaten run to six games this week.
Match preview
© Imago
Brian Schmetzer‘s Seattle went through a rough winless run during March and into the start of April, but having won five, drawn two and lost just one of their last eight matches, it would be fair to say that they are back on track.
On Saturday, the Sounders took all three points in a 1-0 victory over Dallas, courtesy of a late penalty from midfielder Albert Rusnak, though the manager will be thanking his goalkeeper, Stefan Frei, for keeping Los Toros out by making five saves.
That win saw Schemtzer’s side leapfrog Portland Timbers on goal difference and move up to fifth place in the Western Conference, where they are also level on 23 points with fourth-placed Los Angeles FC and a solid six ahead of 10th-placed Houston Dynamo.
With their sights set on cementing their spot in the top nine in midweek, the hosts will draw confidence from their impressive home record that features an 11-game unbeaten league run that stretches all the way back to last season’s 3-0 loss against LAFC in July 2024.
If Seattle can end a fruitful month with another win, then they could move up to fourth and go level on 26 points with third-placed Minnesota United, a tally that would leave them only one behind Wednesday’s opponents.
© Imago
Meanwhile, Mikey Varas‘s San Diego overcame a three-game losing streak in mid-April to record four wins and one draw from the five games leading up to this clash, and their momentum suggests that they will pose a threat in midweek.
SDFC earned their latest victory on Saturday when they came from behind beat LA Galaxy 2-1 in dramatic fashion at the Snapdragon Stadium, with Luca de la Torre levelling the scoreline one minute after his team conceded and former Napoli and PSV Eindhoven star, Hirving Lozano, netting a 95th-minute winner.
Taking three points at the weekend lifted Varas’s side up to second in the table after Minnesota drew 1-1 with Austin FC, and their 27 points has them just four short of Vancouver Whitecaps, who lead the conference and have the most points in MLS so far this term.
Looking to close the gap to one point, the visitors will be hoping that their win on the road to St Louis City on May 11 was not a one-off, but the fact that they had lost the previous three away fixtures on the bounce – conceding eight goals in the process – might have some fans questioning their club’s chances.
Should San Diego make it six games unbeaten with another victory on their travels, then they could find themselves an impressive 13 points ahead of 10th spot, while simultaneously putting pressure on the Whitecaps.
Seattle Sounders MLS form:
San Diego MLS form:
Team News
© Iconsport
Seattle will be without centre-back Yeimar Gomez Andrade this week after an injury forced him off with only 16 minutes on the clock against Dallas.
In his absence, Jonathan Bell could join Kee-hee Kim at the heart of Schemtzer’s defence, with the duo flanked by full-backs Alex Roldan and Nouhou Tolo.
Elsewhere, striker Danny Musovski is a doubt after missing Saturday’s game with a hip problem, and Jesus Ferreira is likely to start in front of attacking midfielder Albert Rusnak if he is unavailable.
As for San Diego, they will be missing right-back Willy Kumado, who was taken off with an injury shortly after half time against LA Galaxy, so expect to see 18-year-old Oscar Verhoeven start in midweek.
On the other side, there are doubts about the fitness of left-back Hamady Diop, who has missed the last two matches, and Luca Bombino should make Varas’s XI once again as a result.
Seattle Sounders possible starting lineup:
Frei; A Roldan, Bell, Kim, Tolo; Vargas, C Roldan; De la Vega, Rusnak, Kent; Ferreira
San Diego possible starting lineup:
Dos Santos; Verhoeven, McVey, McNair, Bombino; Godoy, Tverskov, De La Torre; Dreyer; Mighten, Lozano
We say: Seattle Sounders 2-1 San Diego
San Diego may be in better form overall than their hosts, but Seattle have consistently demonstrated their resilience on their own turf.
That being said, the visitors are likely to cause problems for the Sounders, though their travelling record suggests that they could walk away empty handed on Wednesday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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