The Seattle Sounders are visiting the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday in their first of two meetings on the season. Here is everything you need to know:
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 5:30 p.m. PT at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas.
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be available to stream on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The match will air in English on 950 KJR AM and in Spanish on El Rey 1360AM.
2024 RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Sounders: 5-7-6 (21 points, 9th West), Dynamo: 6-6-5 (23 points, 7thWest)
FORM GUIDE (all competitions, most recent first): Seattle: WLDWW, Houston: DDWLD
PREVIOUS MEETING: The Sounders defeated the Dynamo 1-0 at Lumen Field on July 1, 2023. Albert Rusnák scored the match-winner in the 67th minute, five minutes after Houston’s Micael was sent off.
DOMINATING THE DYNAMO: The Sounders have won four consecutive matches against the Dynamo, conceding just once in those four contests. Seattle has also lost to Houston just once in all competitions since 2017 (11-1-0).
MORRIS IN GREAT FORM: Sounders forward Jordan Morris scored the match-winner over the weekend in a 2-0 victory over Minnesota United. The goal was the fourth in five games for the Mercer Island native.
HISTORY BECKONS FOR FREI: Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei recorded his 109th career clean sheet on Saturday. He is now just three shy of tying MLS legend Kevin Hartman for second all time.
HOUSTON’S CLUB-RECORD SIGNING: The Dynamo on Monday acquired forward Ezequiel Ponce from Greek side AEK Athens for a club-record fee. He won’t be available on Wednesday — Major League Soccer’s Secondary Transfer Window opens on July 18 — but his announced arrival should provide a solid boon for an attack that has scored a joint-Western Conference low 20 goals this year.
DEFENSIVE STRENGTH: Despite the frustrations in attack, Houston has relied on its defensive aptitude this year. The Dynamo have allowed just 20 goals, which is tied for the second-best defensive mark in the West.
