Match Preview - Seattle Sounders

Game Info

Kickoff: 9:39PM CST

Watch: Apple TV

Location: Lumen Field, Seattle, WA

All-Time H2H Record

In the 2023 campaign, Austin FC was able to steal a road victory 2-1 at Lumen Field behind goals from Ethan Finlay and Gyasi Zardes. Seattle visited Q2 Stadium later in the season and secured a 2-1 victory against the Verde and Black.

Austin FC has 1W - 3L - 2D all-time record against Seattle.

Seattle’s Recent Form

The Seattle Sounders are a club synonymous with success in MLS, and after re-tooling their roster in the offseason, they were a popular pick to win a loaded Western Conference in 2024. New impact player Pedro De La Vega made his presence felt off the bench in the opener, playing with tons of energy and netting a penalty kick in his debut against LAFC in the 73rd minute. Seattle was unable to overcome an early 2-0 deficit and fell in the end with the 2-1 scoreline.

While both teams are coming off a loss, Lumen Field is a notoriously difficult place to play and Austin FC will have their work cut out for them despite Seattle rolling out a depleted roster due to a rash of injuries. Gaffer Brian Schmetzer was forced into a formational change in the opener due to Albert Rusnak’s injury the night before they clashed with LAFC. The injuries don’t stop there for the Sounders, as the club expects to be without multiple top contributors in goalkeeper Stefan Frei (hamstring), midfielder Joao Paolo (hip), midfielder Albert Rusnak (ankle), and center-back Yeimar Gomez Andrade (fitness). Furthermore, Raul Ruidiaz suffered an apparent rib injury in the opening day loss and was subbed out in Los Angeles in the 58th minute. After a post-game evaluation, it was determined that the injury was not a major one, but it will keep Ruidiaz out of training until at least Thursday of this week.

Without Yeimar and Frei, the Sounders defense is compromised. Jackson Regan paired with off-season free agent signing Nathan in the opener and struggled early with communication, leading to many early chances for LAFC that eventually yielded two goals. Seattle had one of, if not the most formidable defensive units in the league last year, allowing only 32 goals, which, tied them for tops in the league with Nashville. Then on Wednesday, Nathan was ruled out of this Saturday’s match. He’s currently out of the country working on paperwork for his green card. The move will eventually open an international slot for Seattle, but for this week the Sounders will roll out a makeshift starting lineup that may also include formational changes that the Verde and Black can hope to capitalize on.

Austin’s Recent Form

Now that the disastrous first half against Minnesota United is in the past, Austin will look to build on the momentum and positive signs of life they showed in the latter 45 minutes of their home opener. Sebastian Driussi, the team’s best and most impactful player, was a surprise addition to the injury report last week and was left out of the team as Austin struggled mightily to generate anything on offense. On the heels of what might have been the ugliest half in club history, head coach Josh Wolff hinted at starting lineup changes in his post-game presser last week. The expected lineup change could include the two highest-profile additions of the offseason, with Jader Obrian and Diego Rubio potentially getting the nod with the first XI over Ethan Finlay and Gyasi Zardes, who were two of the most disappointing players in Austin’s 2-1 loss at the hands of a depleted Minnesota team that was without their best player Emanuel Reynoso. As we talked about in the wrap-up of the last week’s game in Episode 120 - Five Goals & 38 Haircuts, the Verde and Black cannot look that atrocious when Driussi does not play.

At the time of writing, there has yet to be an update on Driussi’s status and we expect there will be media availability before the team departs for Seattle. The hamstring injury that kept him out of the Minnesota match is concerning, as Austin’s number ten was sidelined with soft tissue injuries for a considerable amount of time in the 2023 season. Further adding to the worry is the fact that Driussi is known to not enjoy playing on a turf surface – the type of surface found at Lumen Field. While precaution this early in the season is critical, Austin FC showed zero signs of offensive prowess in the opener without Seba. If he does not suit up again, it could be a very, very long night for the Verde and Black faithful.

Supplementing the dismay of Austin’s home opener was an injury to starting center back Leo Väisänen, who was seen leaving Q2 stadium on crutches due to a plantar fasciitis injury. I’m no doctor, but I would be shocked if Leo suited up for this match (update: Väisänen was ruled out for at least a month on Thursday), leaving Austin with Julio Cascante, Matt Hedges, and Brendan Hines-Ike (update: Hines-Ike was ruled out for this match on Friday) manning the center of the back line.

Minnesota utilized a high–press to thwart Austin’s offensive scheme to build from the back and maintain possession. This was an adjustment made by now-replaced coach Cameron Knowles that caught Austin off-guard and stymied their attack early and often. Adjustments were made by the coaching staff, but it was too little too late and Austin could not overcome a truly putrid start. Dropping Dani Pereira further back in the formation allowed Austin to alleviate the high press in the second half, but the damage was already done. Of the very few positives to draw from their first matchup, Austin will once again most likely require a masterclass from Bradley Scott Stuver to keep Seattle at bay and hopefully walk away with a result.

Injury Report

ATX - Sebastian Driussi (Questionable - Hamstring), Leo Väisänen (Out - Foot), Brendan Hines-Ike (Out - Not injury related)

SEA - Stefan Frei (Out - Hamstring), Yeimar Gomez Andrade (Out - Not injury related), João Paulo (Out - Hip), Albert Rusnák (Out - Ankle), Nathan (Out - Not with team), Reed Baker-Whiting (Out - Hamstring), Braudilio (Out - Hamstring) Rodrigues Raul Ruidiaz (Questionable - Ribs)

Seattle Players to Watch

Pedro De La Vega - The 22 year-old Argentine bagged a penalty kick goal in his debut, making him one of eight players to score in their Sounders’ debut. Coach Schmetzer, while somewhat critical of De La Vega’s defensive play, stated, “We’re going to let him go. We’re going to let him do what he does. I’m not going to corral that.” Expect De La Vega to be an orchestrator for the Seattle attack.

Jordan Morris - While it would be incredibly difficult to match his torrid start to the 2023 campaign, Morris is a professional goal scorer at the MLS level. He secured double-digit goals last year with 11 and should be the focal point of the Seattle attack, especially if Ruidiaz is sidelined. Morris has deceptive speed and is a heady player who often finds himself in the right position to put the ball in the back of the net.

Cristian Roldan - There are two Roldan’s paired on Seattle’s right side and the brother duo showed sound chemistry in their matchup against LAFC. Roldan is a talented and physical playmaker who facilitates the connectivity between the stout back line of Seattle and their attack. He will look to control the midfield from his right-mid position.

Austin Players to Watch

Bradley Scott Stuver - There is no shortage of superlatives to lay at the feet of Mr. Stuver after his performance in last week’s match against the Loons. Without him, the game could have easily been 3-0 (or worse) in the first half. The outfield players provided Brad with little to no help, but Stuver made beautiful save after beautiful save to keep Austin alive. To win at Lumen Field, against that staunch defensive unit, Stuver will once again be called upon to have a monster game and provide Austin a chance at securing a result.

Alex Ring - Will the real Alex Ring please stand up? Donning the captain’s band in matchday 1, potentially due to the Driussi injury, Cap’n Ring was a no-show. Maybe Alex’s lack of long-flowing hair that he grew out in 2023 impacted his play. Maybe the Monstars from Moron Mountain came down and sucked the talent from him. Either way, the play has to be better from number 8 if Austin wants to stand a chance in this matchup.

Dani Pereira - It will be very intriguing to see how Wolff and his staff deploy Dani versus Seattle. Having preached that they want to get him more involved in the offense and pushed up the field, the high-press of Minnesota dismantled Austin without Dani dropping back into space to help alleviate pressure. As one of the best, if not the best, at progressing the ball forward at his feet in MLS, Pereira will be integral to the success (or lack thereof) of Austin come Saturday night.

BONUS PLAYERS

Jáder Obrian - If you sat next to The North End Podcast duo in Section 123 during the opener, the calls for “Obie” were raining down. E suggested subs at the 11-minute mark and remains confident that Austin could have secured a victory if Obie got the start. As mentioned above, Coach Josh Wolff strongly suggested that changes to the starting lineup could be coming, and you need not be Hercule Poirot to deduce that Obrian and Diego Rubio are the two most likely candidates to join the first 11 versus Seattle. Obrian possesses a speed that Austin has not had since the likes of McKinze Gaines and he needs to be utilized in a winger position to potentially unlock Austin’s offensive bite.

Diego Rubio - Rubio possesses creativity, tenacity, and a nose for the goal that Gyasi Zardes just cannot match at this stage in his career. After subbing on in the 58th minute in the contest versus Minnesota, Rubio made his presence felt with his aggression, on-the-ball play, and timely runs. If Austin needs a goal, and Driussi is out, then Rubio is the most likely candidate to secure it.

Austin’s Keys to the Game

Get Out The Gates - A painfully slow start plagued Austin last weekend and ended up being too challenging of an obstacle to overcome. It will be absolutely imperative to get off to a good start versus this Seattle team that will be without key contributors. Otherwise, you can expect an early goal from the Sounders to lead to a condensed and conservative style of play that could see Austin not finding the back of the net for a full 90.

Unleash The Hounds! - With cap conscious Rodolfo Borrell at the helm, Jáder Obrian and Diego Rubio were the gems of Austin FC’s offseason, and it's time to let them loose. Austin’s lack of playmaking and goal-scoring threats were on full display versus the Loons. There was zero creativity and a single Ethan Finlay header in the first half at Q2 Stadium last Saturday – this CANNOT happen again.

Rigoni, Baloney - When you’re without your best player, someone needs to step up. Emiliano Rigoni, Austin’s second-highest paid player and one of the club’s DPs, drew the ire of the fanbase for his astronomical failure on the pitch last week and he needs to rebound in a big way. Can he do it? If he does it, what does that even look like? I’m not sure. Surely, I am not holding out for a big game from Rigoni, but he has to give us something while he’s out there. In my humble opinion, he should have the shortest leash of the starting XI come Saturday. If his head is not in the game and he finds himself once again doing absolutely nothing positive for this club in this difficult matchup, then to quote Mike Singletary, “I WOULD RATHER PLAY WITH 10 PEOPLE.”

Predictions:

E - 1-1 Draw
ZG - 1-1 Draw