The Seattle Sounders are hosting FC Cincinnati on Saturday in the 2019 MLS season-opener. Here is everything you need to know.
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 7 p.m. PT at CenturyLink Field (TICKETS)
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be televised on FS1 and YouTube TV.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The match will air on 950 KJR AM and El Rey 1360 AM.
2018 RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Sounders: 18-11-5 (59 points, 2nd MLS West), FCC: 23-3-8 (77 points, 1st USL East)
PREVIOUS MEETING: This is the first all-time meeting between the two clubs.
2009 SQUAD RETURNS: Be sure to stop by the Premera Blue Cross booth to receive autographs from members of Sounders FC’s 2009 inaugural squad. Players including Sebastien Le Toux, Brad Evans, Nate Jaqua, Patrick Ianni and many others are scheduled to attend. Prior to kickoff, the 2009 team is being honored with an on-field ceremony, recognizing all players in attendance and their contributions to starting Sounders FC’s MLS launch. The team is then helping to honor the life of former Head Coach Sigi Schmid, who passed away in December and left a lasting mark not only on Seattle and Sounders FC, but all of U.S. Soccer. Schmid’s family is accepting a Golden Scarf on his behalf.
INAUGURAL MATCH: FC Cincinnati will play its first match as an MLS franchise on Saturday. The Sounders will open the season againast an expansion club for the second straight year after welcoming LAFC in 2018.
BATTLE OUT WIDE: FC Cincinnati has rolled out a 3-4-3 in its recent friendly matches, with the wingbacks often sitting a bit deeper to provide cover from touchline to touchline. The two presumed wide defenders, Alvis Powell and Blake Smith, are attack-minded and love to bomb forward. If Seattle’s outside backs can consistently supply overlapping runs, pinning the wingbacks deep, they’ll starve striker Fanendo Adi of service while constricting space in midfield.
ADI-OS PORTLAND, HELLO CINCINNATI: Speaking of Adi, the former Portland Timbers target forward will be intimately familiar with his opponents, as he’s started seven Cascadia derbies against Seattle since entering the league in 2014. That means the coaching staff has plenty of tape on Cincy’s most dangerous attacker, giving the Rave Green center backs a massive sample size of match data to prepare for Saturday.
CASCADIA TIES: In addition to Adi and Powell, the Cincinnati roster is littered with players who’ve spent time in the Pacific Northwest. Eric Alexander, Kendall Waston, Kekutah Manneh, Darren Mattocks and Spencer Richey have all suited up for either the Portland Timbers or Vancouver Whitecaps. Even their manager, Alan Koch, holds deep Cascadia ties, spending two years at the helm of Whitecaps FC 2.
SET PIECES, SET PIECES, SET PIECES: If there’s one thing you can say definitively about the expansion side, other than its arms race for defensive midfielders, it’s that FCC possesses plenty of size all over the pitch. With Waston, Adi and Nick Hagglund all likely to start on Saturday, they’ll have numerous targets in set piece situations.
TACTICAL WRINKLES: The Sounders implemented a few alterations to their attacking system throughout the preseason. With a month of grueling, detail-oriented training under their belts, look for the Rave Green to build possession through the middle more frequently, with the ultimate goal of getting the wide attackers isolated 1-v-1.
COUNTER THE COUNTER: One of the most effective ways to score against a team that likes to bunker and counter is capitalize on breakdowns in transition. When Cincinnati sends its wingbacks forward for counterattacks, the Sounders will have plenty of space to punish any disorganization when they win back possession.
