Seattle Sounders face Decision Day matchup at St. Louis CITY SC on Saturday

Before the start of their 2023 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs campaign, the Seattle Sounders are faced with a Decision Day matchup at St. Louis CITY SC that has heavy implications for the upcoming postseason journey.

On a logjammed Western Conference table, Saturday’s result at CITYPARK could leave Seattle anywhere from second to sixth. With the top four seeds in each conference claiming homefield advantage for at least their opening series, midfielder Albert Rusnák said that the team should be approaching the fixture almost as if the playoffs are already underway. 

“We know that we're still playing for positioning,” said Rusnák. “So it's not like we can rest the last game of the season and make sure we're ready for playoffs, it's actually an important game for us."

“...We know we can still finish No. 2, we can probably finish No. 6, and that makes a big difference when you finish No. 2 or No. 6, not just for the first round, but also the second one. No. 2 gives you a really good chance to play all home games until the end of it.”

The match also pits Seattle against a club they might well have to face again at some point in the playoffs.

St. Louis CITY have impressed in their expansion season, finishing as the West’s No. 1 seed while racking up 56 points – just one shy of LAFC’s single-season record for a first-year club that they set in 2018.

Seattle did get the better of the only previous matchup between the sides this season, taking a 3-0 victory at Lumen Field, with Josh Atencio and Raúl Ruidíaz each finding the scoresheet.

“We want to win in St. Louis,” said Rusnák. “Not just for the standings, but for a statement. They’re the No. 1 seed, they’re a team everyone wants to beat. We’re a team that played against them well this season earlier on at home but this will be a completely different game going over there.”

Aside from the seeding implications, Head Coach Brian Schmetzer said the match is an opportunity to establish some positive form heading into the playoffs and hopefully make a deep run.

“Playoffs are here, it's playoff time, even for the two home games,” said Schmetzer. “So that message is there for sure. And not in the sense that we have to go through [a particular team], but just we've got to get our act together because on any given day if we're playing up to our potential, I believe we can beat anybody.”