The Seattle Sounders welcome the Colorado Rapids to CenturyLink on Saturday for the first rematch of the season. Here’s a breakdown of everything you need to know about the game.
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is Saturday at 7 p.m. PT at CenturyLink Field.
WHERE TO WATCH: The game will be telecast on JOEtv, ROOT Sports (Outside Seattle) and Univision-Seattle in Spanish, with a pregame show beginning at 6:30 p.m. PT. Limited tickets are also still available.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The game will be aired on KIRO 97.3 FM in English and on El Rey 1360AM in Spanish.
RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Sounders (4-5-1, 13 pts., 8th in Western Conference), Rapids (7-2-3, 24 pts., 1st in Western Conference)
ALL-TIME HISTORY: The Sounders own the all-time series between the two teams claiming a 13-4-2 record against their Western conference foes since the series began in 2009. The Rapids, however, have picked up wins in the last two meetings, earning a 1-0 result at CenturyLink Field in 2015 and sending the Sounders home pointless earlier this season at Commerce City.
LAST TIME OUT: This fixture will mark the first time the Sounders will square off against an opponent for the second time this season. In the first outing, forward Jordan Morris scored the second goal of his career but the Sounders were ultimately defeated 3-1 in a lackluster performance away in Commerce City. “I thought it was our worst game of the season,” said head coach Sigi Schmid in his post-match press conference.
IMPENETRABLE FORTRESS: After uncharacteristically dropping their first two home matches, the Sounders are now on a four match winning tear within the comfortable confines of CenturyLink Field. This weekend’s match may present the team's toughest challenge yet, with Colorado currently unbeaten in three straight road matches and sitting in first place in the Western Conference.
INJURY REPORT: Forward Nelson Valdez was a late scratch from last weekend’s lineup in FC Dallas picking up an apparent calf strain in practice. There is yet to be any word on the severity of the strain or what the DP forward’s status for this weekend will be. Valdez aside, all other Sounders appear to be healthy and available for this weekend barring any setbacks in training.
PAPPA’S RETURN: Ex-Sounder Marco Pappa may make the trip to Seattle to compete against his former club following a four-week absence with a knee sprain. The injury kept him out in the first meeting between the two clubs and his status for this weekend is still unclear. Pappa recorded nine goals and 11 assists in his two season stint with the Rave Green.
TABLE TOPPERS: To say the Rapids have had a meteoric rise would be no exaggeration. After finishing dead last in the Western Conference last season with a dismal 37 points in 34 games, Colorado has come into 2016 spring loaded and now find themselves on top of the league with 24 points in 12 games.
RIGID RAPIDS: While the Rapids have been solid in front of net, putting away 15 goals so far this season, it’s the backline that’s been the key to their success. In 12 games, the Rapids have conceded just nine goals, the fewest of any team in MLS. The Sounders, meanwhile, have scored the second fewest goals with ten.
SQUAD SHARE: The Sounders and Rapids have exchanged quite a few players in the MLS era including: Herculez Gomez, Marco Pappa, James Riley, Micheal Azira, Marc Burch, Marcus Hahnemann, Pat Noonan, Sanna Nyassi, Nathan Sturgis, Tyrone Marshall and Tyson Wahl.
