The Seattle Sounders won their fourth straight game Sunday night with a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps, sending them into the international bye week in fifth place in the Western Conference. Here’s everything you need to know about the week ahead.
PLAYOFF POSITIONING: The Sounders officially moved into playoff positioning with a win over the Chicago Fire last Wednesday, but Sunday’s win pushed the team even higher above the red line. The Sounders now sit at 44 points through 31 games, one point ahead of sixth-place Sporting Kansas City with a game in hand. They’re also in surprisingly close striking distance to fourth-place Real Salt Lake (44 pts.), which would potentially mean a home game in the Knockout Round on Oct. 26 or 27.
UP NEXT: The Sounders are off this weekend and won’t return to action until Oct. 12, when they host the Houston Dynamo. That midweek game is the third and final regular-season meeting between the two teams after they drew both games earlier this season in dramatic fashion at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston. The Sounders are 9-5-1 at home this season and unbeaten in their last six games at CenturyLink Field (5-0-1).
FOUR IN A ROW: The Sounders’ win on Sunday night was the fourth in as many games, the club’s longest winning streak of the season. They also won for the second straight time on the road, the first time that’s happened all season. They’re now 7-3-1 over their last 11 games, the second-fewest losses in MLS during that span behind the New York Red Bulls, who are unbeaten in their last 14 games (7-0-7).
UNUSUAL SUSPECTS: With Clint Dempsey out for the remainder of the year and Designated Player Nelson Valdez still in search of his first MLS goal of the year, the Sounders are getting big-time goals from some unexpected players. Midfielder Osvaldo Alonso scored his third goal of the season on Sunday night, matching a career high he set with the Sounders in 2011. Defender Chad Marshall also matched his career high with his fourth goal of the year last week against Chicago.
JONES, FISHER ON CARRIBEAN DUTY: Defenders Joevin Jones (Trinidad & Tobago) and Oniel Fisher (Jamaica) are also busy this week with the 2017 Caribbean Cup Qualifiers. T&T will face the Dominican Republic on Wednesday, followed by Martinique on Oct. 11. Jamaica will take on Guyana on Oct. 11 after their scheduled match against Suriname on Oct. 5 was postponed due to concerns surrounding Hurricane Matthew. Both teams are looking to advance past the group stage and ultimately qualify for both the 2017 Caribbean Cup and the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup. If both players play on Oct. 11, it’s unlikely they will be available vs. Houston on Oct. 12. Sounders defender Damion Lowe was also called to Jamaica’s roster.
EVANS SUSPENDED: Sounders captain and midfielder Brad Evans made a brief return to the lineup Sunday night after missing the past four games due to injury, scoring the game-winning goal from the penalty spot but also earning his third career red card. Evans denied any red-card worthy wrongdoing in his postgame comments (above), but barring a successful appeal from the Sounders, he’ll be forced to miss the team’s match vs. Houston on Oct. 12. The red card was the second of the season for Evans, who picked up his only other career red card in 2008 with Columbus.
INJURY ISSUES: The Sounders played without midfielder Andreas Ivanschitz on Sunday night due to a neck strain, but Sounders officials said the team doesn’t expect the injury to be long-term. They also lost midfielder Alvaro Fernandez to a hamstring injury in the early going, and it’s unclear how serious the injury is or if it will affect Fernandez’s availability during training this week. Midfielder/forward Aaron Kovar, meanwhile, made the gameday roster on Sunday for the first time since suffering a fractured clavicle in July, and could be an option for the club over the final month of the season.
