The Seattle Sounders will take on the Houston Dynamo in the 2017 MLS regular-season opener on Saturday, March 4. Here is a breakdown of everything you need to know about the match:
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 5:30 p.m. PT at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas.
WHERE TO WATCH: The game will be televised on Q13 FOX.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The game will air on KIRO Radio 97.3FM and in Spanish on El Rey 1360AM.
2016 RESULTS: Sounders: 4th place in the West, MLS Cup champions; Dynamo: 10th place in the West, missed playoffs.
ALL-TIME HISTORY: The Sounders are 5-3-6 all time against the Dynamo.
RECENT RESULTS: The two clubs drew three times last year.
LATE-GAME MAGIC: Seattle drew 1-1 in Houston twice in 2016 with each Sounders equalizer coming in stoppage time. Chad Marshall scored in the first match in April before Nicolas Lodeiro tied the match on the final kick in August.
OPENING ON THE ROAD: The Sounders open the 2017 season away from CenturyLink Field for the first time in their nine-year MLS history. The Sounders have never won in Houston, sporting just an 0-3-4 record.
ROAD WARRIORS: This match is the first of five road bouts in the opening seven matches to start the season for the Sounders. They will visit the Montreal Impact on March 11 before traveling to the San Jose Earthquakes, Vancouver Whitecaps and LA Galaxy for a three-game road trip in April.
FAMILIAR FACES: Forward Will Bruin returns to Houston where he spent his first six professional seasons before Seattle acquired him this past offseason. The Sounders may very well face former Seattle defender Dylan Remick, who the Dynamo selected in Stage One of this past season’s Re-Entry draft.
NEW FACES: The Dynamo brought in promising 21-year-old Honduran attacker Alberth Elis in the offseason, who will likely start on the wing behind forward Cubo Torres. Ellis, who joins Houston on loan from Monterrey, has three goals in 15 caps for Honduras and won the Golden Boot at the 2015 CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship.
Houston also acquired defensive midfielder Juan David Cabezas (who is suspended for the Seattle match) from Deportivo Cali and defender A.J. DeLaGarza from the LA Galaxy. Cabezas has won championships in his native Colombia with Cali and Independiente Medellin, while DeLaGarza has nearly 200 MLS regular-season appearances and is a three-time MLS Cup winner.
RETURN OF DEMPSEY? Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said earlier this week that there is a “high probability” that Clint Dempsey starts against Houston. He has not played a competitive match since last August when he was shut down while recovering from an irregular heartbeat, but he has played in four of five preseason games, including starting and going 80 minutes in Seattle’s final friendly last week.
MORRIS GOOD TO GO: Sounders forward Jordan Morris said on Thursday that his slightly sprained ankle “feels great,” and he is expected to be available for selection on Saturday.
QUESTIONS AT RIGHT BACK: Potential starter at right back Brad Evans was recently shelved for five to seven weeks while dealing with a calf strain, while Schmetzer’s other likely candidate, Oniel Fisher, just went through the league’s concussion protocol. Swedish defensive midfielder Gustav Svensson played RB in the Sounders’ final preseason match and may get the start there against Houston if Fisher is not 100 percent.
WINGOLAZOS: Homegrown midfielder Henry Wingo had the best preseason of any Sounders rookie and has impressed the coaching staff and teammates alike. Wingo scored twice and had another disallowed in six preseason matches while lining up in multiple positions. Expect him to figure into this match in one way or another.
