The Seattle Sounders return to action with their second road game of the year on Sunday with the first of three matchups this season against the Houston Dynamo. Here’s a breakdown of all you need to know about the game.
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is Sunday at 1 p.m. PT at BBVA Compass Stadium.
WHERE TO WATCH: The game will be nationally telecast on ESPN as part of Soccer Sunday in MLS.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The game will be aired on KIRO 97.3 FM in English and on El Rey 1360 AM in Spanish.
WHERE TO DRINK: The Sounders have seven Pub Partners in the Seattle area where you can watch the game with friends. Click here to find the pub closest to you.
RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Sounders (1-3-0, 3 pts.,10th in Western Conference), Dynamo (1-2-1, 4 pts., 8th in Western Conference)
ALL-TIME HISTORY: The Sounders hold the edge in the all-time series (5-3-3) and haven’t lost to the Dynamo since 2013. But they’ve also never won in Houston, going 0-4-2 combined at Robertson Stadium and at the Dynamo’s new digs downtown. The teams played to a 1-1 draw there last October.
SIGNS OF LIFE: After stumbling to a 0-3 start for the first time in their MLS franchise history, the Sounders posted their first win of the season on Saturday against the visiting Montreal Impact. Clint Dempsey scored his first goal of the season and third in six games across all competitions in the win.
MIXED RESULTS: The Dynamo stated the season relatively strong, with a high-octane draw against the New England Revolution on opening day and an emphatic 5-0 win over intrastate rivals FC Dallas a week later. Since then they’ve lost twice, allowing five goals over two games to the New York Red Bulls and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
CLEAN SHEET: The Sounders earned their first shutout of the season against Montreal, thanks in large part to four saves from goalkeeper Stefan Frei and a back line that benefitted from the return of center back and captain Brad Evans. The Sounders have allowed five goals over four games this season, right in the middle of the pack in MLS. Frei now has 20 career shutouts for the Sounders, second only to Kasey Keller (30).
DEUCE DOES IT: Dempsey’s goal against the Impact was his 27th with the Sounders, moving him into third-place all-time in franchise history behind Fredy Montero (47) and Obafemi Martins (40). His three goals across all competitions this season leads the team.
ALONSO ON FORM: Midfielder Osvaldo Alonso has been arguably the steadiest player on the field this season for the Sounders, and he leads the league in passing accuracy (91.5%) among players with at least 150 passes. He’s also one of only three players to log every minute of every MLS game this season, along with Dempsey and center back Chad Marshall.
INJURY UPDATES: The only Sounders player on the mend is midfielder Erik Friberg, who continues to recover from a knee injury suffered in Week 2. His replacement, Cristian Roldan, has started each of the past two games. There is some concern, however, that forward Nelson Valdez may not play after picking an injury during training this week.
RUN OF PLAY PROBLEMS: It’s no secret the Sounders have struggled to get their goals from the run of play in 2016. They’re one of only two teams in MLS without an assist from open play (Vancouver is the other) and the front line of Dempsey, Valdez and Jordan Morris has yet to connect for a goal this season.
BRUIN A BEAR: Will Bruin has three goals so far for the Dynamo this year, tops on the team and an indication he’ll likely reach double digits for the fourth-time in his six-year career. He also has two assists.
IN THE BOX: No team in MLS has scored more goals from inside the box this season than the Dynamo, who have nine. They’ve got two solid poachers in Bruin and offseason pickup Andrew Wenger, and center back David Horst is a veteran big man who can win the ball in the air on a corner kick.
