It’s a short turnaround for the boys in Rave Green, but following its first loss on Thursday night against Tulsa Roughnecks FC, Sounders FC 2 (3-1-0, 9 points) travels 107 miles southwest to face Oklahoma City Energy FC (1-0-1, 4 points) tomorrow night.
“We know we are going to face a team that is well rested having had a bye week, but we brought the 18 guys who we think can get the job done this weekend,” said S2 Head Coach Ezra Hendrickson.
That rest could prove vital for the Energy FC team as it prepares to take on an S2 team that has scored more goals than any other club in the league (13), including three in Thursday’s match against Tulsa. All but two Sounders who travelled with the team received playing time against Tulsa, meaning fitness and rest will be priority number one in the team’s one day off between matches.
In its last game, Energy FC defeated Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in dramatic fashion with a stoppage-time goal from Danish forward Danni König. It was the team’s first victory of the season, and König scored a brace, which earned him USL Team of the Week honors for Week 3.
Against Tulsa, S2’s defense was uncharacteristically leaky as it allowed four goals, which is one more than the team had allowed in the three matches leading up to Thursday. Hendrickson has said the club focuses on “defending as a team,” and he will likely make it a point going into the match against OKC, who has only allowed two goals this season.
Oklahoma City is an affiliate of Sporting Kansas City, and is coached by former Sporting goalkeeper, Jimmy Nielsen. Nielsen has a long history with Sounders FC, having defeated the Sounders in the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final in a penalty shootout.
WHO TO WATCH
S2’s Andy Craven had either a goal or an assist (and sometimes both) in Seattle’s first three games of the season. He currently is tied for the league lead in assists with three. Craven has played as a forward, a center midfielder and a right midfielder this season and has found success in all three positions. His versatility could prove important against OKC, who has only allowed two goals so far. Craven, along with teammates Pablo Rossi and Darwin Jones, did not start on Thursday night and should be well rested to start in Saturday’s match.
In Oklahoma City, König is also dangerous in attack, with two goals against Colorado Springs two weeks ago. The 10-year professional also scored 72 goals in a span of five years playing in Denmark. Being the home-opener for OKC Energy FC, we’ll see if König, as well as the rest of the OKC team, gets an extra boost of energy from the fans.
