A look at Saturday's matchup with Chivas USA.
Sounders FC @ Chivas USA
June 1, 2013, 7:30 pm PT, The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
TV/Radio: KONG 6/16; KIRO Radio 97.3 FM; THIS TV 4.2 (Spanish); La Gran D 99.3 FM (Spanish)
Chivas USA’s Record: Chivas is 3-7-2 (11 points) and ninth in the Western Conference.
All-time series: After going 2-0-1 against Chivas last year, the Sounders FC now lead the all-time series 4-2-4. After losing the first two meetings between the two clubs in 2009, the Sounders are unbeaten in their last eight meetings with Chivas. They also have two victories over Chivas in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.
Injury Report: Sounders FC – OUT: GK Josh Ford (R patella fracture). QUESTIONABLE: D Ashani Fairclough (L adductor strain); M Osvaldo Alonso (L adductor strain); M Steve Zakuani (abdominal strain). Chivas USA – OUT: D Daniel Antunez (L ACL reconstruction); GK Tim Melia (lumbar discectomy); M Edgar Mejia (L ankle sprain). QUESTIONABLE: F Tristan Bowen (L hamstring strain); D Steve Purdy (L hamstring strain).
Key player: Goalkeeper Dan Kennedy has been the most consistent piece to the Chivas USA puzzle over the past two years, though the statistics don’t necessarily show it. His 1.70 goals against average is better only than Philadelphia’s Zac MacMath (1.77) and DC United’s Bill Hamid (1.82) among regular starters, and while his 1.69 GAA was better than only one regular starter in 2012, he finished second in the league in MLS Goalkeeper of the Year voting.
Notes: After starting the season 3-1-1, Chivas is winless in their last seven matches at 0-6-1, getting outscored 17-3 in that stretch. On their current four-game losing streak, they have been outscored 13-1. … On Wednesday, Chivas USA announced the firing of head coach Jose Luis Sanchez Sola after coaching 12 matches in the league. His replacement, Jose Luis Real Casillas, is not yet available, so they will be headed by interim coach Sacha van der Most, who currently serves as youth academy director of soccer. … The Sounders will play without forward Eddie Johnson and midfielder Brad Evans, who are away with the US National Team for training camp ahead of their World Cup qualifying matches starting June 7 against Jamaica. They also won’t have Shalrie Joseph, who is serving the first of a two-match suspension for a red card against the LA Galaxy. A second game was tacked on to the typical one-match ban by the MLS Disciplinary Committee. … Chivas will be without three players who are away on international duty – defender Steve Purdy (El Salvador), forward Julio Morales (Mexico U20) and midfielder Marky Delgado (US U18).
