P/I/P Sounders vs STL 7:30PM 7/17/2024
Jul 16, 2024 21:18:18 GMT
Zafiro, Holden, and 2 more like this
Post by airkeeper on Jul 16, 2024 21:18:18 GMT
It's a double-match week for most clubs this week, and both SEA and STL are like "most clubs." The big difference is that both of our matches are home while STL flies here and then face SKC away on the weekend. But I digress.
To say STL are struggling this season would be an understatement. They've gone from best in the West last season to second-from-bottom in the conference (and third-worst in the league). To start July, they sacked their coach, Bradley Carnell, letting him take the fall for the terrible team that has been dealing with injuries to key, star players and lacked investment to bolster/improve the roster heading into the season; their Technical Director John Hackworth is interim coach. They've scored 31 goals this season (one more than us) but have conceded 43 (compared to our 26); their goal difference is -12 with an average of 0.96 points per game). Their last win (one of just four in the season) came at home on July 4, beating league-worst SJ 2-0. In fact, all four of their wins have been at home; they are 0-5-5 on the road. Former-Sounder Sam Adeniran had a decent season for STL last year but has only scored twice this season, mostly coming off the bench; however, their star forward João Klauss, countryman of JP, only has five goals on the year due to injury. Their best striker of late looks to be Icelandic forward Nökkvi Thórisson who has two goals in his last four starts (he netted one against VAN last weekend). All that said, their key man is German midfielder Eduard Löwen, but he, too, has had some injuries this season and only has three goals and three assists; that said, he has two goals in their last three matches. STL's most recognizable name is that of Swiss goalkeeper Roman Bürki; his team have coughed up a lot of goals this season, but without Bürki they'd be even more of a disaster--he is standing on his head in some matches; for instance, he has recorded double-digit saves twice this year and made five saves in last week's 1-4 loss to VAN.
I know I said this in the CHI PIP, but this one truly feels like it's got "TRAP GAME" written all over it. We are on a hot streak, at home, with a bigger and tougher opponent in LAF on Saturday, and they are objectively terrible so are an easy team to overlook. There was some rotation in the starting XI at ATX, which worked in terms of the match result--but it failed in terms of the fact it took Morris and Rusnak coming on to get things going. Since we are at home, I say we go best XI available or bust. Hopefully, we continue the high pace, high energy, high press for the full 90 and add to STL's plummet down the table (and to Bürki's nightmares).
Oh, did I mention that we have won all three of the previous meetings with STL? The most recent was our 2-1 win at STL back in May--we may recall the own goal to get us on the board and, three minutes later, Rusnak's assist to Morris who scored the match winner. (The other two meetings were clean sheets: 2-0 @stl back in October 2023 and a 3-0 victory at home in April 2023.) Not only do I want us to continue our win streak but also want a clean sheet--it would mean Frei ties for most career clean sheets in MLS.
PLAYER AVAILABILITY REPORT
St. Louis City SC
OUT: Rasmus Alm (knee)
OUT: João Klauss (knee)
OUT: Tomáš Ostrák (ankle)
OUT: Célio Pompeu (leg)
QUESTIONABLE: Joakim Nilsson (hamstring)
Seattle Sounders
OUT: Josh Atencio (international duty)
OUT: Stuart Hawkins (international duty)
OUT: Braudilio Rodrigues (hamstring)
MATCH OFFICIALS
REF: Alexis Da Silva*
AR1: Cameron Blanchard
AR2: Mike Nickerson
4TH: Gerald Flores
VAR: Younes Marrakchi
AVAR: Tom Supple
*Da Silva has only officiated a dozen MLS matches in two years, only one match involving SEA--our nil-nil draw at DAL back in April, and none involving STL.
TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on AppleTV
Local Radio: KJR 93.3FM and El Rey 1360AM
To say STL are struggling this season would be an understatement. They've gone from best in the West last season to second-from-bottom in the conference (and third-worst in the league). To start July, they sacked their coach, Bradley Carnell, letting him take the fall for the terrible team that has been dealing with injuries to key, star players and lacked investment to bolster/improve the roster heading into the season; their Technical Director John Hackworth is interim coach. They've scored 31 goals this season (one more than us) but have conceded 43 (compared to our 26); their goal difference is -12 with an average of 0.96 points per game). Their last win (one of just four in the season) came at home on July 4, beating league-worst SJ 2-0. In fact, all four of their wins have been at home; they are 0-5-5 on the road. Former-Sounder Sam Adeniran had a decent season for STL last year but has only scored twice this season, mostly coming off the bench; however, their star forward João Klauss, countryman of JP, only has five goals on the year due to injury. Their best striker of late looks to be Icelandic forward Nökkvi Thórisson who has two goals in his last four starts (he netted one against VAN last weekend). All that said, their key man is German midfielder Eduard Löwen, but he, too, has had some injuries this season and only has three goals and three assists; that said, he has two goals in their last three matches. STL's most recognizable name is that of Swiss goalkeeper Roman Bürki; his team have coughed up a lot of goals this season, but without Bürki they'd be even more of a disaster--he is standing on his head in some matches; for instance, he has recorded double-digit saves twice this year and made five saves in last week's 1-4 loss to VAN.
I know I said this in the CHI PIP, but this one truly feels like it's got "TRAP GAME" written all over it. We are on a hot streak, at home, with a bigger and tougher opponent in LAF on Saturday, and they are objectively terrible so are an easy team to overlook. There was some rotation in the starting XI at ATX, which worked in terms of the match result--but it failed in terms of the fact it took Morris and Rusnak coming on to get things going. Since we are at home, I say we go best XI available or bust. Hopefully, we continue the high pace, high energy, high press for the full 90 and add to STL's plummet down the table (and to Bürki's nightmares).
Oh, did I mention that we have won all three of the previous meetings with STL? The most recent was our 2-1 win at STL back in May--we may recall the own goal to get us on the board and, three minutes later, Rusnak's assist to Morris who scored the match winner. (The other two meetings were clean sheets: 2-0 @stl back in October 2023 and a 3-0 victory at home in April 2023.) Not only do I want us to continue our win streak but also want a clean sheet--it would mean Frei ties for most career clean sheets in MLS.
PLAYER AVAILABILITY REPORT
St. Louis City SC
OUT: Rasmus Alm (knee)
OUT: João Klauss (knee)
OUT: Tomáš Ostrák (ankle)
OUT: Célio Pompeu (leg)
QUESTIONABLE: Joakim Nilsson (hamstring)
Seattle Sounders
OUT: Josh Atencio (international duty)
OUT: Stuart Hawkins (international duty)
OUT: Braudilio Rodrigues (hamstring)
MATCH OFFICIALS
REF: Alexis Da Silva*
AR1: Cameron Blanchard
AR2: Mike Nickerson
4TH: Gerald Flores
VAR: Younes Marrakchi
AVAR: Tom Supple
*Da Silva has only officiated a dozen MLS matches in two years, only one match involving SEA--our nil-nil draw at DAL back in April, and none involving STL.
TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on AppleTV
Local Radio: KJR 93.3FM and El Rey 1360AM
