Western Conference leader Real Salt Lake will hit the road to square up against ninth-placed Seattle Sounders.
The CenturyLink Field will play host to this Major League Soccer fixture between Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake. The home team will look to avenge the loss in the reverse fixture, while the visitors will look to continue their dominance in MLS.
Seattle Sounders have not really had the best of starts to the season. They have only accumulated 17 points in their 15 matches and as a result, find themselves in the ninth spot. After suffering back-to-back defeats in the league, they managed to bounce back with a 2-1 win over St. Louis City.
The team from Seattle will be confident about their chances. But they are going up against a team that has been in red-hot form and won’t be easy to win against. Real Salt Lake are at the top of the Western Conference with 29 points out of their 15 outings. They have only lost twice in the league so far and have been unbeaten in their last 11 league outings.
They were on the verge of defeat in their last outing against FC Dallas. But an injury-time equaliser by Nelson Palacio helped them salvage a point. They will look to put forward an improved performance in search of all three points. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Seattle Sounders
The home team will be without the services of quite a few first-team players with Pedro De la Vega, Jon Bell, Leo Chu, Josh Atencio, Nathan Cardoso and Braudilio Rodrigues all unavailable.
Seattle Sounders will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Stefan Frei in goal. The back four will be made up of Alex Roldan, Jackson Ragen, Yeimar Gomez Andrade, and Cody Baker. Ragen and Andrade will be in the heart of it, while Roldan and Baker will be the full-backs.
Joao Paulo and Cristian Roldan will form the double pivot. They will look to free up the likes of Obed Vargas, Albert Rusnak, and Jordan Morris who will feature in attacking roles. Rusnak will be the number 10 with the other two providing width to their attack. Raul Ruidiaz will be leading the line for the home team.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Frei; Alex Roldan, Andrade, Ragen, Baker; Cristian Roldan, Paulo; Vargas, Rusnak, Morris; Ruidiaz
Real Salt Lake
The visitors will be without the services of Bode Hidalgo, Marcelo Silva, Erik Holt, Pablo Ruiz, and Kevin Bonilla for this fixture.
Real Salt Lake will stick to the 4-2-3-1 formation, with Zac MacMath in goal. Andrew Brody and Alexandros Katranis will be the full-backs for them, while Justen Glad and Brayan Vera will take charge in the heart of the defence.
In the centre of the park, Emeka Eneli will form a double pivot with Braian Ojeda. The duo will look to control the tempo and also shield the backline. Diego Luna and Carlos Gomez will feature on the flank, while Matt Crooks will be the attacking midfielder behind their striker Cristian Arango.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): MacMath; Brody, Glad, Quinton, Katranis; Ojeda, Eneli; Gomez, Crooks, Luna; Arango
Ways to Watch
Key Stats
- Seattle Sounders, who are currently ninth, have finished outside the top four of the Western Conference only once since joining the league in 2009.
- The visitors have been unbeaten in their last 11 league games.
- The Rave Green could not register a win in their first five league games of the season.
- Just two weeks back Real Salt Lake won the reverse fixture 2-0.
- Seattle Sounders have been unbeaten in their last three outings since that defeat to Real Salt Lake.
Player to Watch
Cristian Arango
The Real Salt Lake skipper has been in sensational form in the 2024 season. He is currently leading the scoring charts having found the back of the net on 13 occasions in his 15 league outings. He also has four assists to his name. The 29-year-old Colombian international will look to add to his tally and stay ahead of others in the race for the Golden Boot.
Prediction
Seattle Sounders 2-3 Real Salt Lake
Seattle Sounders have been one of the most consistent teams in the MLS in recent years. They have always been towards the very top of the table. But this time around, they have struggled and are looking to climb up the table by securing three important points against the leaders of the Western Conference.
Given the kind of form Real Salt Lake have been, the home team might end up suffering another defeat. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-2 win for the visitors.
