The Seattle Sounders are visiting FC Dallas on Sunday in their second match of the 2018 MLS season. Here is everything you need to know:
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 2 p.m. PT at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
WHERE TO WATCH: The game will be televised in English on JOEtv and YouTube TV and in Spanish on Univision-Seattle.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The game will air in English on 950 KJR AM and in Spanish on El Rey 1360 AM.
2018 RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Sounders: 0-1-0 (0 points, 11th West), FCD: 0-0-1 (1 point, 8th West).
ALL-TIME HISTORY: The Sounders are 11-5-6 all time against FC Dallas, including a 3-4-5 mark on the road.
RECENT MEETINGS: The Sounders demolished FC Dallas to the tune of a 4-0 home win in the penultimate match of the 2017 regular season. VÃctor RodrÃguez opened the scoring, Will Bruin struck for a second-half brace and Lamar Neagle capped the victory in stoppage time.
CCL DEFEATS: Both the Sounders and FC Dallas bowed out of the CONCACAF Champions League recently, with FCD falling to Panama’s Tauro in the Round of 16 and Seattle falling to Mexico’s Chivas on Wednesday in the quarterfinals.
INJURY BUG: The Sounders are dealing with a plethora of injuries to some big-name players. In addition to Jordan Morris’ season-ending ACL tear, Ozzie Alonso, RodrÃguez and Nicolás Lodeiro are all fighting off injuries. Kelvin Leerdam made his season debut on Wednesday after suffering an ankle sprain in February, and Bruin and Chad Marshall each exited in under 35 minutes on Wednesday after two separate head collisions.
BOUNCING BACK: The Sounders are looking for their first win of the MLS campaign after an unusual home loss to expansion side LAFC on March 4. Seattle employed a rotational lineup in the opener with two important CCL games bookending it, but the team is eager to notch its first victory and get back on track after Wednesday’s defeat in Mexico.
KIM DEBUTS: New Sounders center back Kim Kee-hee made his debut on Wednesday when he subbed on for Marshall in the first half. The South Korean international joined Seattle in late February from Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua.
EXTRA PREPARATION: FC Dallas had two weeks to prepare for the match on Sunday because of the extra time off following their CCL exit. FCD will also be looking for its first win of the season after drawing 1-1 with Real Salt Lake in the season opener.
HOME COOKING: Sunday’s match marks the second of four consecutive home matches for FC Dallas to start the season with the Portland Timbers and Colorado Rapids following suit in the next couple of weeks. FCD sported an 8-2-7 record in Frisco last season.
NEW PLAYERS TO WATCH: FC Dallas bolstered its attack and defense in the offseason, acquiring Colombian winger Santiago Mosquera and Swiss defender Reto Ziegler, respectively. Mosquera signed a Young DP contract after shining with Colombian giants Millonarios. Ziegler is a two-time World Cup veteran and has played in the English Premier League, Serie A and the Swiss Super League.
