SEAvCIN: Three Matchups to Watch, presented by Toyota

The Seattle Sounders are hosting FC Cincinnati on Saturday (7 p.m. PT; FS1, YouTube TV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360AM; TICKETS) in the 2019 MLS season-opener. Here are three matchups to watch, presented by Toyota.

Fanendo Adi vs. Chad Marshall

Towering No. 9’s and imposing center backs are often known for their brute force. But at the highest levels of the game, both positions are played between the ears, as intelligence and experience often prove the difference between stopping and scoring goals. When Adi and Marshall – who’ve faced off numerous times in Cascadia derbies dating back to 2014 – go toe-to-toe on Saturday, they’ll have plenty of tape on each other. A savvy veteran that relies on perfect positioning and an innate capacity to read the game, Marshall’s ability to lockdown his FC Cincinnati adversary will be instrumental in the Rave Green keeping a clean sheet.

Marshall and Adi battle during a Sounders vs. Timbers match in 2014 | Corky Trewin

Nicolás Lodeiro vs. Victor Ulloa

With FC Cincinnati likely to roll out a compact five-man backline, time and space on the ball while be in short supply in the final third. Seattle’s industrious midfield maestro, whose aptitude for manipulating opponents’ defensive shape with off-the-ball movement is unparalleled in MLS, will need to pull defenders out of position and create gaps for Víctor Rodríguez and Cristian Roldan to exploit. If the Uruguayan can find pockets of space between the lines, he’ll need to thread precise through-balls in order to penetrate Cincy’s compact back-five. Ulloa, who joined the visitors from FC Dallas in the offseason, will pull the strings for the MLS newcomers as the visitors try to create goals in transition. Look for Lodeiro to re-press Ulloa as soon as Seattle coughs up possession, stifling the FC Cincinnati tempo-setter’s ability to spring the wingbacks for counter-attacks.

Raúl Ruidíaz vs. Kendall Waston

Last time Ruidíaz and Waston faced off – a 2-0 win for the Sounders on September 15 – Seattle’s Peruvian No. 9 torched the Whitecaps in Vancouver, bagging a brace as Rave Green secured their ninth-consecutive victory. The first goal portends a bright showing for the Sounders striker, as he drifted into the Costa Rican’s blindside before making a sharp, lightning-quick run to the near post, toe-poking his finish past the goalkeeper. Waston, recently named captain of FC Cincinnati, will be tasked with organizing the defenders around him and marshalling Ruidíaz into blind alleys. Seattle needs to supply penetrating runs from midfield, pulling apart Cincy’s compact defensive shape, which will give El Nuevo Nueve the requisite space in the box to showcase his scoring prowess. 

Ruidíaz beats Waston to Leerdam's cross for the first of his two goals in Seattle's 2-0 win over Vancouver| Mike Fiechtner