FC Dallas (3-0-0) is off to its best start to the season in club history. If that isn’t enough to get you pumped for Saturday’s match against Seattle Sounders FC, maybe you need a reminder of last year’s playoffs.
Seattle comes into Saturday’s playoff rematch with a 1-1-0 record after losing to San Jose 3-2. Sounders FC hosted Club Tijuana of Liga MX in a mid-season friendly on Tuesday with the score finishing tied at 2-2.
Dallas is coming off a 2-0 shut-out win over Philadelphia and will look to capitalize on Seattle’s quick turnaround. Sounders FC will also be without forward Clint Dempsey and midfielder Marco Pappa. The two are expected to miss Seattle’s game against Dallas.
Injury Watch
Seattle could be without midfielder Osvaldo Alonso, who is questionable with a groin injury. The Sounders will also be without defender Tyrone Mears who has a slight hamstring tear.
TICKETS - FC Dallas vs Seattle Sounders FC - Saturday, March 28
Key Matchups
Fabian Castillo vs Stefan Frei- Frei already has a shut-out under his belt after two games in goal for Seattle this season. However, he has only faced six shots. Castillo leads FC Dallas with 10 shots, but only has one goal. Eventually, his aggressive play will pay off.
Matt Hedges vs Obafemi Martins- With Dempsey unavailable, Martins becomes Seattle’s biggest scoring threat. Martins is second on the team in goals with two. With Pappa and Dempsey gone, Sounders FC’s attack became much more manageable. However, Hedges and the rest of the backline still have to worry about Martins and Lamar Neagle who scored on them last season.
Key Player for Seattle
Lamar Neagle- With two of Seattle’s key offensive weapons out, the door is open for Neagle to step into a bigger role and help out the Sounders attack.
READ: Third win brings everything full circle for FC Dallas goalkeeper Chris Seitz
Projected Lineup
Goalkeeper: Stefan Frei; Backline: Tyrone Mears, Brad Evans, Chad Marshall, Leonardo Gonzales; Midfield:Christian Roldan, Micheal Azira, Gonzalo Pineda, Lamar Neagle; Forwards:Obafemi Martins, Chad Barrett
Keys to three points
Just because Dempsey and Pappa won’t be with Seattle on Saturday doesn’t mean Sounders FC is toothless. Martins has been a scoring threat this season and there are plenty of other players more than willing to step up in their absence.
FC Dallas won its first three games by playing solid defense and relentlessly attacking opposing keepers. Frei has only had to deal with six shots this season. Expect Dallas to be on aggressive and really test Frei early on.
