The Seattle Sounders hit the road for the first time since when they face Toronto FC at BMO Field.
A 2-1 defeat to Montreal spoiled what would have been a perfect homestand for Seattle after three wins and a draw in the first four matches.
Toronto, boosted by the arrivals of Lorenzo Insigne and Domenico Criscito, have begun to turn their season around, winning four of their last six matches in all competitions.
Team news
Jonathan Osorio was given a bit of rest in midweek, coming off the bench, but he is expected to return to the starting lineup for this match.
Goalkeeper Quentin Westberg suffered a knock against Atlanta and has been ruled out. Alex Bono will take his place.
Carlos Salcedo is dealing with a family issue and will be away from the team for an undisclosed amount of time. Noble Okello (lower body) is also out.
Brian Schmetzer will be without the services of Xavier Arreaga (left hamstring strain); Will Bruin (health & safety protocols); Joao Paulo (right ACL tear); Raul Ruidiaz (left hamstring strain); Obed Vargas (lower back stress fracture).
Predicted lineups
Toronto FC: Bono; Marshall-Rutty, O'Neill, Thompson; Nelson, Bradley, Osorio, Pozuelo; Akinola, Jiménez
Seattle Sounders: Frei; Nouhou, Regan, Medranda, Rusnák, Leyva A. Roldan; Chu, Morris, C. Roldan
Ones to watch
Jesus Jimenez (Toronto FC)
The Argentine has been the Reds' most dangerous attacking threat all season, leading the club with eight goals, which is also good enough to place him fourth in the race for the Golden Boot.
Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders)
With Ruidiaz and other key pieces of the Sounders attack in and out of the lineup, Morris has stepped up, scoring in consecutive matches and he's registered four goals and an assist over his last six appearances for club and country.
Previous meetings
Due to COVID-19, Toronto and Seattle haven't met since the 2019 MLS Cup, which was won by the Sounders 3-1, the third time in four years the two sides played for the championship.
Seattle opened the scoring against the run of play on 57 minutes, Ruidiaz switching the ball to Kelvin Leerdam, whose shot deflected off of two Reds defenders and found the back of the net.
Victor Rodriguez adoubled the lead in the 76th minute, converting a layoff from Nicolas Lodeiro and Ruidiaz made it 3-0, chipping goalkeeper Quentin Westberg.
The shutout spoiled by a late stoppage-time strike from Jozy Altidore, but it was of little consequence as Seattle won their second title in franchise history.
How to watch
The match will be streamed nationally on ESPN+. In Toronto, coverage will be provided by TSN while FOX 13+ has all of the action in Seattle.
Kickoff is set for 7:30pm Eastern time.