The Seattle Sounders will visit New York City FC on Saturday in their first and only meeting in the regular season. Here is everything you need to know about the match:
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 10 a.m. PT at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York.
WHERE TO WATCH: The game will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN Deportes.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The game will air on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM and El Rey 1360AM.
2017 RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Sounders: 5-6-4 (19 points, 6th West), NYCFC: 7-5-3 (24 points, 3rd East).
ALL-TIME HISTORY: The Sounders are 1-1-0 all time against NYCFC, which joined MLS in 2015.
RECENT RESULTS: NYCFC defeated the Sounders 2-0 last June at CenturyLink Field after the Sounders won the inaugural meeting 3-1 at Yankee Stadium in 2015.
OPEN CUP RESULTS: The Sounders defeated the Portland Timbers 2-1 on Tuesday in the fourth round of the 2017 U.S. Open Cup and will visit the San Jose Earthquakes in the Round of 16 on either June 27 or 28. NYCFC fell 1-0 to rival Red Bull New York on Wednesday.
TIRED LEGS: While Seattle opted for a mix of S2 players and reserve first team options for its match, NYCFC started many of its stars on Wednesday, with David Villa, Alex Ring, Maxi Moralez and Jack Harrison all getting the nod.
DAVID DELIVERING: Villa has eight goals in 14 MLS matches so far this year and is tied for third in the league. He is one away from 50 in his NYCFC tenure.
MAESTRO MAXI: Designated Player Moralez is in his first year with NYCFC and has a team-leading seven assists. The diminutive Argentine has played all but seven minutes in 15 league matches this year.
GOALS GOALS GOALS: NYCFC has scored 27 goals this season, which is tied for second in MLS. Ten different players have tallied at least once, and Harrison (six) and Rodney Wallace (four) round out NYCFC’s top goalscorers behind Villa.
PRIDE DAY: NYCFC will host its 2017 Pride Day on Saturday to help spread LGBTQ activism and awareness. Seattle will celebrate Pride night in their next match on Wednesday, June 21st vs Orlando City.
RETURNING INTERNATIONALS: After competing in Matchday 6 of the Hexagonal in CONCACAF 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying on Tuesday, Joevin Jones (Trinidad and Tobago) and Roman Torres (Panama) will likely be available for Saturday’s match. Torres equalized for Panama in the 90th minute to earn a point against Honduras. Jordan Morris (USA) and Clint Dempsey (USA) should also be available after returning from international duty earlier this week.
NINE FROM FOUR: The Sounders entered the international break having won three of their last four matches, earning nine points and jumping back into a playoff position in the West.
WINGO RECOVERING: On Tuesday, rookie Henry Wingo came on as a second-half substitute and made his first appearance since April 29. Wingo had been battling an ankle injury, but his return could mean a potential return to MLS play on Saturday.
MR. 300: Sounders midfield talisman Osvaldo Alonso's next match will be his 300th appearance in all competitions. Alonso recently passed 20,000 MLS minutes played with Seattle in April.
