Sounders FC vs. New England Revolution
MLS Regular Season
Sunday, March 8; 6:30 p.m. PT; CenturyLink Field
TV/Radio: FOX Sports 1; KIRO Radio 97.3 FM; ESPN Deportes Radio, 1490 AM (Spanish)
Sounders FC’s first test of the 2015 campaign is Sunday night against defending Eastern Conference champion New England Revolution. The Revs return 16 of the 18 players that suited up for last year’s MLS Cup Final, including star midfielders Lee Nguyen and Jermaine Jones.
Both Jones and Nguyen, however, will likely be out of the lineup Sunday due to injury. Here are three matchups to keep an eye on as the Rave Green look to start their season with a victory over New England.
Seattle backline vs. Kelyn Rowe
Save for DeAndre Yedlin, the Sounders return every starter from last year’s team that won the Supporters’ Shield and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The backline will look much different, however, as newcomer Tyrone Mears is set to replace Yedlin at right back and Brad Evans has shifted from the midfield to centerback. Even if Nguyen is sidelined for Sunday’s match, Seattle’s defenders will be matched up with some talented attacking players, one being 23-year-old Rowe. The Federal Way native recorded five goals and four assists in the final 15 games of the 2014 season and played all 120 minutes in the MLS Cup Final.
Revolution centerbacks vs. Clint Dempsey
New England is another team that will feature a new starting centerback in 2015. A.J. Soares, who started in 32 of the club’s 34 regular-season games last year, is now playing for Viking FK in Norway. That leaves an opening at centerback next to captain Jose Goncalves, a void that was filled by 22-year-old Andrew Farrell during the preseason. The new pair of centerbacks will be tasked with defending Seattle’s duo of All-Star forwards: Dempsey and Obafemi Martins. Dempsey, who began his professional career in New England, started last season with eight goals and three assists in his first six matches.
Sounders substitutes vs. Revolution substitutes
Head Coach Sigi Schmid has said some of his players are not yet at 100-percent fitness – otherwise they would run out of gas at the end of the season – which is why second-half substitutions could be key on Sunday. In last year’s season opener, the Rave Green beat Sporting Kansas City, 1-0, on a goal in second-half stoppage time that was scored and assisted by substitutes.
