After playing five games in 15 days, Sounders FC 2 finally got a week of rest and is back at Starfire Stadium looking to extend its perfect home record and five-game unbeaten streak across all competitions.
S2 hosts 11th place Tulsa Roughnecks FC Friday night for the two clubs’ second meeting of the season. The Rave Green visited Tulsa for the team’s first road match of the season on April 16, a game which saw S2 get an early goal, but eventually give up a late game-winner to drop the match by a score of 4-3.
In the following seven league matches, S2 has gone 3-2-2 and jumped to the top of the USL Western Conference table, while Tulsa has gone 2-3-1. Although in 11th place, Tulsa is only three points shy of being above the playoff line, and will be hungry for a victory that could put the team back in the mix as the season’s halfway point draws near.
“This is going to be a good test for us. When we played them last, it was our first away game and we were still learning how to play on the road,” said S2 forward Andy Craven. “We could have come out with a win as high-scoring as that game was, and getting the chance to bring them to our home field is going to be good for us to show them how we play.”
Craven sat out Saturday’s match against Orange County Blues FC along with defender Damion Lowe. The two have been staples to the S2 starting XI throughout the season, and the team will count on their return to the lineup.
The success in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup that S2 has experienced has contributed to the influx of games for the Rave Green, meaning the ranks have been thinned as players rest and recover. However, with a full week of training without an extra match, the team should be fit going into Friday’s meeting.
The S2 forwards in particular will have a test in Tulsa goalkeeper Zac Lubin. The Sounders FC U-23 and Kitsap Pumas SC alum leads the USL in saves with 45, and is second in saves per game with 4.5. The keeper made six saves against S2 in the last meeting, stopping a penalty that proved to be crucial to the one-goal margin Tulsa would take the victory with.
WHO TO WATCH
New S2 signing Sérgio has already proven his worth in the S2 midfield as a creator. In his first match with the Rave Green, he sent a long ball forward to Andy Craven for his first assist with the club. Along with Duncan McCormick, Andrés Correa and Amadou Sanyang, Orange County Blues FC struggled to move the ball through midfield as the Sounders recorded a 1-1 draw on the road.
HOW TO WATCH
Live-stream: SoundersFC.com
Talent: Drew Wallen, Payton Barrens
Tickets: sndrs.com/ut4w
