The Seattle Sounders are hosting Austin FC on Saturday (5:08 p.m. PT; FOX 13+, Univision Seattle, Prime Video, 950 KJR FM, El Rey 1360AM | TICKETS) in a massive Western Conference battle. Here are three matchups to watch:
Jordan Morris vs. Nick Lima
Head Coach Brian Schmetzer opted to start Morris on the right wing rather than this normal left last weekend in a huge 2-1 win over the Houston Dynamo. The Sounders will need to continue to utilize Morris’ pace against former United States international Lima. How well Morris can get in behind and drop balls across the middle for Raúl Ruidíaz & Co. will go a long way in determining whether Seattle can grab three more points.
Josh Atencio and Danny Leyva vs. Sebastián Driussi
It’s going to take the efforts of both teenage central midfielders in Schmetzer’s 4-2-3-1 formation to try and slow down the MVP candidate Driussi. The Argentine has 20 goals and seven assists this year and is the lifeblood of this Austin attack. He’s just as capable of creating on his own as he is finishing off a late run in the box, and the Sounders will need to know where he is on the pitch at all times.
Nouhou vs. Ethan Finlay
Nouhou is coming off a career match, one in which his first MLS goal drew the Sounders level before his pinpoint cross assisted the match-winner. He’ll be eager to get forward in attack again, but he’ll need to ensure that he can track back and prevent the pacey Finlay from having too much space. If Nouhou can replicate his offensive output and keep Finlay on the back foot, Seattle should expect another strong home result.
