The Seattle Sounders return home after a one game road trip. The will be facing the Western Conference’s newest team, the Houston Dynamo. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00pm PST. A win over the Dynamo would put the Sounders ahead of them in the standings.
The season has not started the way the Sounders and their fans may have wanted it to begin. The Sounders opened the season with a resounding 3-0 victory over the New England Revolution. They followed that up with a disheartening 3-2 loss to a 10 man San Jose Earthquakes team. Last week, the Sounders were up a man for more than 70 minutes in their match against FC Dallas, but were unable to find a winning goal.
So after three matches, the Sounders sit at 1-1-1 on four points and currently are in 8th place of the conference. It is time for Seattle to turn things around and that begins this weekend against the Dynamo. It won’t be an easy task, but it is highly possible for the Sounders to win this match. The Dynamo recorded their second shutout in four games, but was shut out for the second time in four games.
The one thing Seattle has going for them? They have never lost to Houston at home and have outscored them 9-2 in those five meetings. The teams have alternated wins over the last five seasons, each winning only on their home ground. The Sounders won last year’s meeting, 2-0 on Aug. 10 in Seattle.
So far on this young season, Tyler Deric has been the most important player on the Dynamo along with Jermaine Taylor. Those two have helped the Dynamo only concede two goals all year long. One goal was an own goal by Deric when they played against Orlando City SC. The Sounders will need to attack the Dynamo’s defense relentlessly all night long and require Deric to play outstanding. The Dynamo's defense has been the lone bright spot for the club so far.
Offensively, Houston has scored two goals all year. That is not good after you have played four games. In contrast, Seattle had scored five goals after two games. Brad Davis has struggled for Houston all year and when he struggles, the team struggles. This match will come down to Seattle's offense against Houston's defense.
According to Sounder at Heart, as long as Obafemi Martins, Chad Marshall and Clint Dempsey do not have any setbacks during Fridays practice, it appears that all three will be playing against Houston. That is a good thing considering Seattle had little to no offensive power against Dallas and struggled to put the ball into the net. Osvaldo Alonso is probably still a week away as he is still working on his fitness level. There is also a possibility that Marco Pappa could play as well even though he played on Tuesday for Guatemala in an international match.
If these three offensive players play for Seattle, there is no way that Houston leaves Seattle with a win. A draw is possible, but not likely. If the three don’t play, Houston will more than likely walk away with a win. It all comes down to the lineup that Coach Sigi Schmid puts out Saturday night.