Colorado Rapids vs. Seattle Sounders FC | 2017 MLS Match Preview

Simon Borg

Colorado Rapids vs. Seattle Sounders
2017 MLS Regular Season - Week 19
Dick's Sporting Goods Park - Commerce City, Colo.
Tuesday, July 4 – 9 pm ET
WATCH: TSN1, TSN4 in Canada; MLS LIVE in USA

This is the biggest match of the season to this point for the Colorado Rapids (6W-10L-1D, 19pts). Not only is it the club's traditional July 4 match in front of a capacity crowd at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, but it's also a chance to leapfrog the Sounders (5W-7L-6D, 21pts) in the West standings, move closer to the playoff zone and exact some revenge for the Western Conference Championship elimination suffered in 2016.

"There’s definitely a sense of payback," Rapids forward Dominique Badji told media after the 3-1 Week 18 win over Houston on Saturday. "It left a sour taste in our mouth last year, but every team that comes in, we want to [beat]. It’s going to be an important three points for us to move up the table."

The Rapids have hosted an Independence Day match since the league's inaugural season in 1996, compiling a 13W-3L-5D all-time record. But since moving to DSG Park in 2007, the team has only won two of nine matches (2W-2L-5D) on the national holiday.

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Colorado Rapids

In addition to the homefield advantage that exists at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, what also makes the Rapids hard to play against is the unpredictable lineup and formation shifts that we've seen manager Pablo Mastroeni implement in recent weeks as he seeks to maximize his roster and capitalize on . And they've worked to good effect, as the Rapids have been victorious in four of their last six league matches.

Suspended:None
Suspended next yellow card: DF Mekeil Williams
International duty:None
Injury Report: OUT — DF Bobby Burling (left foot sprain); QUESTIONABLE — MF Josh Gatt (groin), DF Axel Sjoberg (hamstring)

Projected Starting XI (4-3-3, left to right): Tim Howard — Mekeil Williams, Eric Miller, Mike da Fonte, Dennis Castillo — Mohammed Saeid, Michael Azira, Bismark "Nana" Boateng — Dominique Badji, Kevin Doyle, Marlon Hairston

Notes: With the return of central midfielder Michael Azira from suspension and the chemistry forming between Mohammed Saeid and Nana Boateng, we could be looking at a three-man midfield for the Rapids at home ... Influential midfielder Shkelzen Gashi is not on the club's official injury report, but he also hasn't seen action since June 3. Will he be added to the lineup?

Seattle Sounders

It's been a month since the Sounders' last league win and the various player absences ahead of their Week 19 match in Colorado certainly won't make their quest to get back in the win column any easier.

That being said, the Sounders' success in Colorado over recent years, coupled with Clint Dempsey's likely return to the starting lineup, gives Seattle supporters more than a little hope in their ability to pull off a positive result. Something else going for them: While the Rapids last played on Saturday night, the Sounders were idle in Week 18.

All-Time Series

The altitude factor in Colorado makes it one of the more difficult road trips in MLS, but it clearly hasn't bothered the Seattle Sounders, who have tasted victory at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in each of the last six years, including the postseason.

Last year the Rapids hadn't lost a match at home all year before the Sounders blanked them 1-0 in the 2016 Western Conference Championship second leg, winning a ticket to MLS Cup.

All-Time (20 regular season matches): Colorado 5W-13L-2D (23 GF / 34 GA); Seattle 13W-5L-2D (34 GF / 23 GA)
In Colorado (9 regular season matches): Colorado 3W-5L-1D (14 GF / 15 GA); Seattle 5W-3L-1D (15 GF / 14 GA)

Note: The Rapids and Sounders met twice in the MLS Cup Playoffs over the last four years, with the Sounders advancing on both occasions: a 2013 Knockout Round match in Seattle and the 2016 Western Conference Championship series.