The Seattle Sounders are hosting Minnesota United on Saturday at Lumen Field (7:30 p.m. PT; Watch for free on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app | TICKETS). Here are three matchups to watch:
Héber vs. Miguel Tapias
Héber wasted no time in acclimating to his new team, scoring twice in his first two matches for the Sounders after joining this past offseason from New York City FC. The 31-year-old Brazilian then missed about a month with an injury but is now back and will look to make a strong impact. Not only is Héber an efficient finisher around the box, the Sounders will rely on his hold-up play with his back to goal to drag Minnesota’s center backs out of position and open up space. Tasked with slowing him down will be offseason acquisition Tapias, who arrived from Liga MX’s Pachuca. The 26-year-old center back is a former Mexico youth international player and has 59 career Liga MX matches under his belt.
Léo Chú vs. DJ Taylor
With Jordan Morris going nearly 90 minutes midweek with the United States national team in a friendly against Mexico, Léo Chú seems poised to get another start on the left wing. The 21-year-old has had a breakout season so far, as his five assists are tied for first in MLS. Chú is good 1-v-1 and has a ton of pace, so look for Nicolás Lodeiro to occupy small pockets of space on the left side to draw in DJ Taylor and try and play Chú in behind. Taylor will need to stay honest or risk chasing Chú with a head of steam toward goal.
João Paulo vs. Sang-Bin Jeong
The Sounders will need their do-everything central midfielder to keep tabs on Jeong and deny him service. João Paulo is one of the best holding players in MLS, and his main responsibility will be stopping Jeong, who was a recent acquisition from Wolves in the English Premier League. Normally filling in for the missing Emanuel Reynoso, the 21-year-old South Korea international player has big shoes to fill and will be looking to write his name in the box score for the first time.
