The Seattle Sounders are taking on the Colorado Rapids on Sunday in their second of three meetings of the season. Here is everything you need to know:
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 7 p.m. PT at Lumen Field (TICKETS).
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be televised on FOX 13+ and Prime Video.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The match will air on 1090 KJR AM and El Rey 1360AM.
2021 RECORDS AND STANDINGS: Seattle: 15-5-6 (51 points, 1st West), Colorado: 13-4-9 (48 points, 3rd West)
PREVIOUS MEETING: The Sounders and Rapids drew 1-1 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on July 4. Alex Roldan opened the scoring in the 41st minute with his first career MLS goal before Michael Barrios equalized in the 58th to split the points.
FORM GUIDE (most recent first): Sounders: WWLWL, Rapids: WDDDD
RETURNING HOME: The Sounders finished a four-match road swing, including the Leagues Cup Final in Las Vegas. Seattle owns the best road record in MLS (9-2-2) and will look for support from its home crowd to try and earn its third consecutive win.
UPDATED HEALTH AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS: Speaking of returning home, there will be updated health and safety protocols in effect. Click HERE to read more.
BATTLE FOR THE WEST: Sunday will be the first of two matches with the Rapids in an 18-day span that could very well determine how the final Western Conference standings finish. The Sounders host Colorado, which is just three points back with the same number of matches played, before going to altitude to take on the Rapids on the road on Oct. 20.
RUIDÍAZ QUESTION MARK: Sounders forward Raúl Ruidíaz scored his 15th and 16th goals of the season in a 3-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday, but he exited at halftime for what Head Coach Brian Schmetzer called precautionary reasons after he went down holding his leg. Ruidíaz is second in the MLS Golden Boot race and his absence would be a large one if he’s unavailable.
DEFENSIVE BATTLE: The Sounders and Rapids enter this weekend as the top two defensive teams in MLS, respectively. Seattle (22 goals allowed) and Colorado (24) are well-organized at the back and don’t beat themselves. Whichever side can find the back of the net will have a massive chance at three points.
UNBEATEN RUN: The Rapids enter Lumen Field on a 12-match unbeaten streak that began on July 31. They are 6-0-6 in this current stretch.
YARBROUGH SETS RECORD: A large part of the Rapids’ defensive success has been the standout play of goalkeeper William Yarbrough. The former United States international joined Colorado from Liga MX’s Club León last year and just earned his 11th clean sheet of the season, which is tied for the league lead. He also set a Rapids club record for most shutouts in a single campaign.
THE PRICE IS RIGHT: Rapids midfielder Jack Price recorded his 11th assist of the season in a 3-0 win over Austin FC on Wednesday. The Englishman is tied for third in MLS in assists and has continued to feed different attackers. Barrios leads the team with seven goals, and 15 different Rapids players have scored this season.
ROYAL EXIT: Colorado sold United States international and Homegrown left back Sam Vines to Belgium’s Royal Antwerp this August. The Rapids replaced Vines with Lucas Esteves, a 21-year-old on loan from Brazilian giants Palmeiras.
