The Seattle Sounders take to the road this weekend to face off against Orlando City SC in the teams’ only matchup of 2016. Here’s a breakdown of everything you need to know about the game.
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is Sunday at 4:00 p.m. PT at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. If you’re traveling to the game and are in need of tickets, click here.
WHERE TO WATCH: The game will be telecast nationally on FS1.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The game will be aired on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM with a pregame show beginning at 3:30 p.m. PT. You can also listen live on El Rey 1360AM in Spanish.
RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Sounders (6-9-3, 21 pts., 9th in Western Conference), Orlando (5-5-11, 26 pts., 7th in Eastern Conference)
ALL-TIME HISTORY: The Sounders won the only previous meeting between the two clubs when they met during Orlando’s expansion season in 2015. Sounders forward Nelson Valdez scored his first career MLS goal to help punctuate the Sounders’ 4-0 romp at CenturyLink Field.
CHANGES AT THE TOP: The biggest story in both camps in recent weeks has been coaching changes. Frustrated by a stagnant second season on the MLS map, Orlando City parted ways with boss Adrian Heath last month and replaced him with former Real Salt Lake and NYCFC head coach Jason Kreis, who won his first game in purple last weekend against New England. The Sounders are still seeking the first win for interim head coach Brian Schmetzer, who stepped in for Sigi Schmid after the Sounders parted ways with their longtime head coach last week.
KREIS AND LAGERWEY: Kreis is well-known in Sounders' soccer circles because of the team’s lengthy history against RSL, but also because Sounders GM and President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey helped Kreis build a dynasty in Salt Lake City. Both men left the club after its heyday had passed – Kreis to NYCFC after the 2013 season and Lagerwey to Seattle a year later – and Lagerwey got the best of his former partner when the Sounders dumped NYCFC 3-1 last year.
POINTS AT A PREMIUM: The Sounders have just 13 games left on the schedule to squeeze into the postseason for the eighth consecutive year, and it won’t be easy. With 21 points through 21 games, the Sounders will likely need somewhere between 26 and 30 points down the stretch, averaging between 2-2.3 points per game. Seven of those 13 remaining games come against teams currently below the red line in either the Eastern Conference or the Western Conference, including Orlando. Sunday’s matchup is also the Sounders’ last road match against an Eastern Conference foe this season.
LODEIRO ARRIVES: Few signings in Sounders history were able to make a better impression on their debut than midfielder Nico Lodeiro, the Designated Player who arrived in Seattle last week from storied Argentine side Boca Juniors. Despite just three days of training with the team, Lodeiro strode into the starting lineup, logged 90 minutes and led all players on the field in touches against the LA Galaxy. He was so busy and influential, in fact, that his 124 touches were the fourth highest total by any player in an MLS game this season, He also finished with a secondary assist on the Sounders’ only goal of the game.
SYNTHETIC SURPRISE: Lodeiro said following the Sounders’ 1-1 draw against the Galaxy that he was surprised by the adjustment to playing on FieldTurf, a sure sign that he’ll need more time to solve the surface at CenturyLink Field surface. Lodeiro and the Sounders are back on turf this weekend at Camping World Stadium (formerly Orlando Citrus Bowl) and then it’s two more at C-Link on Aug. 14 and 21 before his first game on natural grass in Houston on Aug. 24. In fact, eight of the Sounders’ final 13 games this season will be played on turf.
DIFFERENT LOOK, SAME OUTCOME?: The Sounders trotted out a decidedly different look in Schmetzer’s first game at the helm on Sunday, running a 4-2-3-1 formation that put Valdez up top and led Lodeiro and forwards Clint Dempsey and Jordan Morris support. The formation largely worked – the Sounders finished with 18 shots, eight of them on goal – but it won’t mean much if Seattle can’t finish. The Sounders are currently 19th out of 20 teams in MLS in shot conversion at 9.95 percent.
TORRES TO RETURN?: Sounders center back Roman Torresworked out fully with the team on Monday for the first time since suffering a torn ACL nearly a year ago, the latest indication that his return to the fold is coming soon. It may not come as early as this weekend, however, as Schmetzer said following the training session that the turf in Orlando will likely keep him out of the lineup this time, and that Torres needs a full week of training with the team before he’ll be cleared to return. Midfielder Erik Friberg, meanwhile, is questionable to return after missing the last game with an ankle injury.
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP FOR LARIN: No MLS player ever had a better rookie year than Cyle Larin did for Orlando City in 2015. The former UConn standout and No. 1 overall pick in last year's MLS SuperDraft scored a rookie record 17 goals last year, and he’s back in double digits this season (11) after scoring three goals in his last three games. The Lions are 12-3-6 all-time in games when Larin scores a goal.
MOLINO MAKES HIS WAY: The Lions were a surprise success during their expansion season last year, even with Kevin Molino sidelined with a torn ACL. But now the Trinidadian international is back and thriving in his second MLS season, and his first career brace fueled the team’s 3-1 win over New England last weekend. Orlando City is one of just two teams in MLS with two players among the top-10 goal scorers in the league, with Larin (11) and Molino (9).
SHEA TO LEFT MID: It appears former USMNT darling and Orlando City utility man Brek Shea is done playing left back for the Lions after Kreis moved him up a spot on the field shortly after his arrival last month. Shea actually platooned off the bench at right mid in the team’s win over New England, leaving plenty of questions about where Kreis might use him this week against Seattle. The Sounders have always found a way to bottle up the Dallas native and one-time Jurgen Klinsmann favorite, however, as Shea has scored just one goal in eight career regular season appearances against the Sounders since 2009.
