Seattlevs.Houston

With their only success coming at home, the Sounders seek to secure another victory at the expense of an opponent that remains winless after four games and sits second-bottom in the Western Conference.

Match preview

Brian Schmetzer's Seattle enter Saturday's encounter with Houston aware of their unbeaten start at Lumen Field this season and their four-year streak without a loss in this fixture.

Since suffering a 2-1 defeat to the Texan side in October 2021, five of the next six meetings (including one draw) have resulted in maximum points for the Sounders, while two MLS Cup Playoff encounters last year ended in shootout victories for the Seattle-based outfit.

Aiming to extend their eight-match unbeaten run in this match-up to nine, the free-scoring hosts hope to build on the seven goals scored heading into their third home fixture of the season.

The Sounders netted two goals in a 2-2 draw with Charlotte FC in late February and struck five in a 5-2 win against Los Angeles FC at the start of March, meaning Schmetzer's side have scored more goals at home than any other team in both Conferences.

That statistic pales in comparison to their away results, with Seattle yet to register a goal this season following losses to LA Galaxy (1-0), Real Salt Lake (2-0) and St Louis City (1-0), and the Rave Green will be pleased to return to home comforts against a side they generally perform well against this weekend.

Ben Olsen's men have struggled to find form in four MLS games this term, marked by 2-1 defeats to Dallas and Real Salt Lake, along with a 4-1 drubbing by Inter Miami.

Notably, all three defeats occurred in Houston, while the Dynamo's only away match resulted in their sole point from four fixtures — a 0-0 draw at Columbus Crew.

The upshot of these results means that Olsen's men, currently second-bottom in the Western Conference, enter this weekend four places adrift of 10th-placed Seattle in the nascent table.

The Dynamo are five points behind a cluster of teams in the sought-after top seven spots, with eighth and ninth positions offering safety net options through a wild-card round.

After finishing fifth in the Western last season, the regular season has started disappointingly for the Orange Crush, who have conceded at least two goals in three of their opening four fixtures this term.

However, La Naranja have 30 more matches to rectify their slow start, and they aim to find positives from their sole point and only clean sheet against Columbus Crew to end their winless streak against Seattle.

Seattle Sounders Major League Soccer form:

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Houston Dynamo Major League Soccer form:

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Team News

Although the Sounders face no suspensions, Schmetzer is without injured players Jordan Morris (hamstring), Paul Arriola (knee), Pedro de la Vega (hip) and Reed Baker-Whiting (hamstring).

Also missing are Nouhou Tolo and Obed Vargas, both on international duty with Cameroon and Mexico's U20 side, respectively, while Yeimar Gomez is absent for personal reasons.

Morris's absence is particularly unfavourable, given the forward's three goals at Lumen Field — two in the 2-2 draw with Charlotte and one in the 5-2 victory over LAFC — accounting for 42.8% of the Sounders' goals in front of their fans.

Apart from goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell, who suffered a season-ending knee injury against Real Salt Lake, the visiting club expects other absentees such as Duane Holmes (broken leg), Lawrence Ennali and Nelson Quinones (both with knee injuries).

The away side will also be without Jack McGlynn (USA), Brooklyn Raines (USA U-20) and Sebastian Rodriguez (Mexico U-18) due to the March international window.

While Ezequiel Ponce, Nicolas Lodeiro and Amine Bassi scoring for the Dynamo suggests that the away side do not rely on a single source for goals, Olsen will hope that other squad members step up for the struggling visitors.

Seattle Sounders possible starting lineup:

Frei; Ragen, Bell, Baker; A. Roldan, C. Roldan, Leyva, Rothrock; Minoungou, Ferreira, Rusnak

Houston Dynamo possible starting lineup:

Maurer; Dorsey, Bartlow, Awodesu, Escobar; Artur, Urso; Lodeiro, Bassi, Kowalczyk; Ponce

We say: Seattle Sounders 2-1 Houston Dynamo

With three-goal man Morris absent for Seattle, the Sounders must find solutions in the attacking third to maintain their unbeaten start at Lumen Field.

Despite the forward's absence, the Rave Green, who have had five different goalscorers this term, are expected to extend the Dynamo's wait for a positive result in this fixture.

Written by

Anthony Brown

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