The Seattle Sounders are taking on the Montreal Impact on Saturday (7 p.m. PT; JOEtv, YouTube TV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM | TICKETS). Here are three matchups to watch:
Chad Marshall vs. Nacho Piatti
One of Major League Soccer’s most effective playmakers, Ignacio “Nacho” Piatti loves to cut inside and take on defenders 1-v-1. He scored 17 goals each of the last two seasons and has shown no signs of slowing down at age 33. Chad Marshall is one of the best shut-down defenders in the league, and his efforts against Piatti will go a long way in helping Seattle try and earn its first clean sheet of the young season.
Nouhou vs. Jeisson Vargas
After a difficult matchup against Michael Barrios and FC Dallas, 20-year-old Nouhou faces another big challenge in new Impact forward and fellow 20-year-old Jeisson Vargas. The speedy Chilean scored the game-winner against Toronto FC last time out and is excellent on the ball. Shutting down Vargas in dangerous areas is a must on Saturday.
Magnus Wolff Eikrem vs. Samuel Piette
Magnus Wolff Eikrem wasn’t able to find a whole lot of room to work with in Dallas last week, and he’ll have another challenge on Saturday against defensive midfielder Samuel Piette. The 23-year-old Canadian is an aggressive and strong ball-winning center mid and has no problems getting into tackles. Wolff and the Sounders offense will need to stretch Piette in different directions to exploit the space behind him and in front of the back line.
