P/I/P SSFC vs CHI 7:30PM 6/29/24
Jun 28, 2024 20:14:00 GMT
Holden, sounderfan1974, and 2 more like this
Post by airkeeper on Jun 28, 2024 20:14:00 GMT
Seattle sit just below the playoff line at 10th in the West and host the bottom of the East, Chicago, this Saturday night.
As abysmal as our Sounders have been this season (25 points with a WDL of 6-7-7, home record of 3-5-1), Fire have been so much worse--just 18 points one win on the road (WDL of 4-6-9 this season, 1-4-4 on the road). We have a goal difference of +2, and CHI have a GD of -11; neither team is high on the goals scored list--SEA are 15th in the league while they sit at 28th just above NER at the bottom (but we've only scored four more than them). The bigger difference is on defense; we are 11th in MLS, having given up 25, but CHI are 27th, having conceded 34 goals.
We are 10-4-4 all time against CHI. Interestingly, we have not faced them since 2022, and the last time we played them at home was right before the Covid shutdown on 1 March 2020 when we won 2-1 with JMo scoring both goals with the winner coming late in stoppage time.
Sounders first-ever draft pick and club LEGEND Steve Zakuani will be honored in a pre-match ceremony. The team better do Zakuani proud and build off the momentum from the come-from-behind win last week to get the victory (which would make it our only win streak, so far, this season). This opponent is just so bad that this is a trap game--even more so than our failure at SFC earlier this year. There is no room for complacency. This is a must-win. This is a chance for the team to take out frustrations on a weak opponent that will be jet-lagged, especially with the late kickoff. EBFG
PLAYER AVAILABILITY REPORT
Chicago Fire
OUT: Chase Gasper (leg)
OUT: Andrew Gutman (leg)
OUT: Federico Navarro (leg)
OUT: Tobias Salquist (leg)
OUT: Xherdan Shaqiri (international duty)
Seattle Sounders
OUT: Jon Bell (international duty)
OUT: Braudilio Rodrigues (hamstring)
OUT: Nouhou (coach's decision)
OUT: Raul Ruidiaz (coach's decision)
MATCH OFFICIALS
REF: Joe Dickerson*
AR1: Stefan Tanaka-Freundt
AR2: Eric Weisbrod
4TH: Calin Radosav
VAR: Alejandro Mariscal
AVAR: Craig Lowry
*Dickerson has officiated two matches featuring the Sounders; both were wins. The first was a 2-0 home win in 2023 versus DAL (one penalty awarded--and converted by Rusnak, three cautions issued--one to us and two to them), and the second was our 2-3 win at PHI this season (one penalty awarded--and converted by Ruidiaz, four cautions--two to each team).
TV/Streaming: Apple+ with MLS Matchday
Radio: KJR 93.3FM, SiriusXM FC, El Rey 1360AM
As abysmal as our Sounders have been this season (25 points with a WDL of 6-7-7, home record of 3-5-1), Fire have been so much worse--just 18 points one win on the road (WDL of 4-6-9 this season, 1-4-4 on the road). We have a goal difference of +2, and CHI have a GD of -11; neither team is high on the goals scored list--SEA are 15th in the league while they sit at 28th just above NER at the bottom (but we've only scored four more than them). The bigger difference is on defense; we are 11th in MLS, having given up 25, but CHI are 27th, having conceded 34 goals.
We are 10-4-4 all time against CHI. Interestingly, we have not faced them since 2022, and the last time we played them at home was right before the Covid shutdown on 1 March 2020 when we won 2-1 with JMo scoring both goals with the winner coming late in stoppage time.
Sounders first-ever draft pick and club LEGEND Steve Zakuani will be honored in a pre-match ceremony. The team better do Zakuani proud and build off the momentum from the come-from-behind win last week to get the victory (which would make it our only win streak, so far, this season). This opponent is just so bad that this is a trap game--even more so than our failure at SFC earlier this year. There is no room for complacency. This is a must-win. This is a chance for the team to take out frustrations on a weak opponent that will be jet-lagged, especially with the late kickoff. EBFG
PLAYER AVAILABILITY REPORT
Chicago Fire
OUT: Chase Gasper (leg)
OUT: Andrew Gutman (leg)
OUT: Federico Navarro (leg)
OUT: Tobias Salquist (leg)
OUT: Xherdan Shaqiri (international duty)
Seattle Sounders
OUT: Jon Bell (international duty)
OUT: Braudilio Rodrigues (hamstring)
OUT: Nouhou (coach's decision)
OUT: Raul Ruidiaz (coach's decision)
MATCH OFFICIALS
REF: Joe Dickerson*
AR1: Stefan Tanaka-Freundt
AR2: Eric Weisbrod
4TH: Calin Radosav
VAR: Alejandro Mariscal
AVAR: Craig Lowry
*Dickerson has officiated two matches featuring the Sounders; both were wins. The first was a 2-0 home win in 2023 versus DAL (one penalty awarded--and converted by Rusnak, three cautions issued--one to us and two to them), and the second was our 2-3 win at PHI this season (one penalty awarded--and converted by Ruidiaz, four cautions--two to each team).
TV/Streaming: Apple+ with MLS Matchday
Radio: KJR 93.3FM, SiriusXM FC, El Rey 1360AM
