SEATTLE – Over the last two matches, Sounders FC has scored eight goals in topping Chivas USA and the Colorado Rapids. On Friday against Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Seattle Head Coach Sigi Schmid will start 10 of the same 11 players from those two matches in a quest to win the Cascadia Cup and move closer to clinching the Supporters’ Shield.
The lone change in personnel is Leo Gonzalez returning from injury to play left back, while DeAndre Yedlin is away with the U.S. National Team, where he started in a 1-1 draw with Ecuador on Friday. In Yedlin’s place, Brad Evans will shift from left back to right back while Chad Marshall and Jalil Anibaba will play in the middle of the defense in front of goalkeeper Stefan Frei.
In the midfield, Micheal Azira will start in the middle for the third straight match, pairing with stalwart Osvaldo Alonso. They will be flanked by Lamar Neagle and Marco Pappa in the wide roles. Neagle has logged a goal or an assist in each of the last six matches – three goals and four assists in that stretch – to bring him to eight goals and nine assists on the season.
Neagle is just one of Seattle’s red-hot scoring triumvirate though.
At forward, Clint Dempsey will start with Obafemi Martins to form one of the top scoring duos in MLS. Dempsey has a point in each of the last eight matches, with five goals and five assists in that streak to lift his season totals to 14 goals and nine assists. Meanwhile, Martins has four braces in his last eight matches, winning MLS Player of the Month honors for September and following that up with a two-goal performance last week against the Rapids to start hot in the month of October. He leads the team with 17 goals and 10 assists.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm PT with national television coverage on NBC Sports Network.
Sounders FC XI – Stefan Frei, Brad Evans, Chad Marshall, Jalil Anibaba, Leo Gonzalez, Lamar Neagle, Osvaldo Alonso, Micheal Azira, Marco Pappa, Clint Dempsey, Obafemi Martins.
