SOUNDER 1, RSL 2: Almost immediately after the Sounders leveled the score, they fell asleep, allowing Andrew Brody to sneak in at the far post to put RSL back in front.
TREBLE 1, RSL 1: Albert Rusnák scored only his second goal of the season when he shot through traffic from the edge of the box and equalised.
SOUNDER 0, RSL 1: Sergio Cordova counterattacked a corner kick and got behind the Sounders’ defense to put RSL first on the board. Cordova was released with only Alex Roldan to beat and despite being slow enough for Xavier Arreaga and Nouhou to catch the game, he still took a shot. Stefan Frei made an initial save, but the rebound went straight to Cordova, who sped past the defenders.
POSITIONS: Raúl Ruidíaz returned to the starting XI for the first time since July 9. Danny Leyva also joins the line-up again and pushes Cristian Roldan back onto the flank.
This might not be a literal must-win game for the Seattle Sounders, but it’s about as close as it gets. The Sounders host Real Salt Lake, a team they have two points behind in the Western Conference standings. A win could put Seattle in fifth place, while a loss could put them in 11th place.
The good news is that the Sounders have been pretty dominant at home against RSL, especially during the regular season where they have an all-time 11-3-2 record. The last time they lost points against RSL at Lumen Field in the regular season was in 2013. Of course, RSL only got a result in the last few playoffs and advanced on penalties, although they didn’t take a single shot during the game.
Neither team comes into play particularly well. The Sounders have only played 3-6-0 in their last nine, which is actually better than RSL, who are 1-4-3 in their last eight. RSL’s last away win came on May 22 when they left Rio Tinto Stadium 2-6-4 this year.
- The Sounders lost their last game by one goal 93:32. It was the second-to-last winning goal the Sounders have ever conceded, only later than Justin Meram’s goal in 2014 at 93-42.
- RSL have conceded nine goals in the first 15 minutes of play, the second-most of any MLS team. They have allowed a goal in the first 15 minutes in 5 out of 7 games, including the last three.
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OUT: João Paulo (R-ACL tear); Obed Vargas (Low Back Stress Fracture)
Real salt lake
AUS: Damir Kreilach (back); Bobby Wood (kidnapper); Tate Schmitt (knee); Danny Musovski (thigh)
PENDING VISA: Braian Ojeda, Bryan Oviedo
REF: Tim Ford; AR1: Chris Wattam; AR2: Brian Poschel; 4th: Michael Radchuck; VAR: Edvin Jurisevic; AVAR: Nick Uranga
Match date/kick-off time: Sunday, 7:08 p.m. PT
Venue: Lumenfeld, Seattle
online streaming: Amazon Prime (affiliate link, in-market), ESPN+ (affiliate link, out-of-market)
Local English TV: Fox13+ (Costigan, Keller, Zakuani)
Local radio: 93.3 KJR-FM Seattle, iHeartMedia (Costigan, Keller, Zakuani)
Locas SpaniardsH radio: El Rey 1360h (Rodriguez, Maqueda, Tapia)
Local Spanish TV: KUNS-TV Univision-Seattle (Ojeda, Moreno)
International TV:
Australia & New Zealand: beIN Sports Australia
Brazil: DAZN (Brazil)
China: China Sports Media
China (Closed Circuit TV): Star Sports
Georgia: Silk Sport
Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain: DAZN (Europe)
India: Eurosport
Latin America: ESPN Latin America
Ukraine: Soccer 1
United Kingdom and Ireland: Free sports
Middle East and North Africa: Abu Dhabi Sports
Netherlands: ESPN Netherlands
South Korea: Coupang Play
Southeast Asia: beIN Sports Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa: ESPN Africa
Sweden: C-More
The highlights will be released as the game progresses.
This is Seattle Sounders vs. Real Salt Lake; watch with us
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