Sounders FC is back at CenturyLink Field on Friday for a date with league-leading D.C. United. The club will be without regular starters Clint Dempsey, Brad Evans and Marco Pappa, who are away on international duty ahead of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Here are three key positional matchups to watch in Friday night’s game.
Chad Marshall vs. D.C. forwards
D.C. United hasn’t scored in its last four regular-season matches against Seattle, but the Black and Red have a pair of strikers that are more than capable of ending the drought: Fabian Espindola and Chris Rolfe. Espindola has played in just eight games due to injury and suspension, yet the Argentine has already notched five assists this season. Rolfe, meanwhile, leads D.C. with six goals and leads MLS with four game-winning goals. The duo could provide quite a challenge for Marshall, who will be without his usual centerback partner on Friday.
Chad Barrett vs. Bobby Boswell
Regarded as one of the best centerbacks in the league, Boswell finished as the runner-up to Marshall in the voting for 2014 MLS Defender of the Year. The 32-year-old has started over 300 games in his MLS career. With both Dempsey and Obafemi Martins out on Friday, Barrett and Lamar Neagle will likely be the ones testing Boswell in the attack. Despite not being in the starting lineup very often during his two years with the club, Barrett has been an impactful player for Sounders FC. And he knows July is his time to step up.
Gonzalo Pineda vs. Perry Kitchen
D.C. United had a U.S. Open Cup match on Tuesday, but the club rested most of its key players, including Kitchen. He’ll be fresh for a battle with a Sounders FC midfield that has been without perennial All-Star Osvaldo Alonso, who is listed as questionable after missing the last five games due to injury. One player Kitchen will be focused on is Pineda, a second-year Sounder and veteran of Liga MX and the Mexican National Team. Winning the battle in the middle of the park will be crucial for the Rave Green, as Seattle is looking to end its three-game losing streak.
