Seattle Sounders vs. FC Dallas
2017 MLS Regular Season
CenturyLink Field – Seattle, Wash.
Sunday, Oct. 15 – 7:30 pm ET
WATCH: FS1, FOX Deportes (USA) | MLS LIVE (CAN)
If all goes right for FC Dallas over the next two weeks, their trip to the Seattle Sounders this Sunday will be a potential playoff preview. But after looking like bona fide contenders in the early stages of the season, Dallas now risk missing out on the playoffs after a stunning collapse that started in July and has seen them win just one of their last 13 games.
FCD still sit above the playoff line, but just barely. They are one point clear of Real Salt Lake and the San Jose Earthquakes, the two teams who can still overtake them, but head coach Oscar Pareja nonetheless made the stakes of Sunday’s game against the Sounders very clear this week:
Fortunately for Pareja, he’ll be able to count on a first-choice XI at Century Link, a luxury opposing counterpart Brian Schmetzer won’t likely have, with injuries to key starters Jordan Morris and Ozzie Alonso both lingering concerns.
Though not qualified for the playoffs yet, Schmetzer and the Sounders are in a much more comfortable position than Dallas with a five-point cushion on RSL and San Jose, they can qualify with a win on Sunday, or if those two teams fail to pick up full points in their own weekend tilts.
Seattle Sounders
- Suspended: None
- Suspended after next caution: None
- International Duty: None
- Injury Report: OUT – D Brad Evans (lower back pain), F Jordan Morris (right hamstring strain), M Callum Mallace (left quad strain); M Osvaldo Alonso (quad injury)
Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, right to left)
GK: Stefan Frei – Kelvin Leerdam, Chad Marshall, Roman Torres, Oniel Fisher – Gustav Svensson, Cristian Roldan – Victor Rodriguez, Nicolas Lodeiro, Joevin Jones – Clint Dempsey
Notes: The Sounders have only won once in their last seven league matches (2L-4D) and have only scored six goals across the seven games. … Clint Dempsey had seven shots off the bench in Seattle’s 0-2 loss to Philadelphia in their last game. It is just the fourth instance of a player having seven or more shots off the bench in a match since the start of the 2010 season.
FC Dallas
- Suspended: None
- Suspended after next caution: M Carlos Gruezo, D Hernan Grana
- International Duty: None
- Injury Report: None
Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, right to left)
GK: Jesse Gonzalez – Hernan Grana, Walker Zimmerman, Matt Hedges, Atiba Harris – Kellyn Acosta, Carlos Gruezo – Michael Barrios, Mauro Diaz, Roland Lamah – Maxi Urruti
Notes: Dallas has only won once in their last 13 league games (6L-6D) and failed to score in six of those matches. … Javier Morales had 139 touches against Colorado last weekend, tied for the fourth most any MLS player has had in a single match this year.
All-Time Series
This will be the seventh regular season meeting since the start of the 2015 season between the two teams. Each team has won two of the previous six, with two draws as well, though Seattle has outscored Dallas 9-4 across these matches.
- Overall: Seattle 10 wins (35 goals) … Dallas 5 wins (22 goals) … Ties 6
- At SEA: Seattle 7 wins (23 goals) … Dallas 1 win (7 goals) … Ties 1
Referees
Referee: Drew Fischer
Assistant Referees: Joe Fletcher, Cameron Blanchard
4th Official: Alejandro Mariscal
Video Assistant Referee (VAR): Jon Freemon
