Seattle Sounders FC vs. Real Salt Lake | 2018 MLS Match Preview

Dylan Butler

Seattle Sounders FC vs. Real Salt Lake
2018 MLS Regular Season – Week 13
CenturyLink Field — Seattle
May 26 - 5 pm ET
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There will be a playoff-type feel at CenturyLink Field as Seattle Sounders FC and Real Salt Lake meet in home-and-home games in consecutive weeks.

Seattle return to action following a bye week that came on the heels of a 1-0 loss to the Portland Timbers, while Real Salt Lake have lost three of their last four games, including a 4-1 defeat to the Philadelphia Union last Saturday at Talen Energy Stadium.

Seattle have won seven straight regular season home games against Real Salt Lake, dating back to September 13, 2013. They have outscored RSL 17-5 along the way, per Opta.

Seattle Sounders FC

Brian Schmetzer made five changes to the side that defeated Toronto FC, 2-1, a few days earlier, with Nouhou Tolo, Kim Kee-Hee and Kelvin Leerdam starting in his back five, Alex Roldan replacing Handwalla Bwana on the left wing and Clint Dempsey starting on top for the injured Will Bruin.

The Sounders (2-5-2) were four minutes from securing a point in the third consecutive game until Sebastian Blanco struck for the late winner for the Timbers.

With a week off to reflect and get healthy, Schmetzer is focused on important games against RSL.

“They’ve got some injury problems, but look they have a good team, a quality team,” Schmetzer said of RSL after training Tuesday. “In MLS, any team in any situation can win. We’re wary of all their players.”

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: None
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: F - Jordan Morris (torn ACL), M - Victor Rodriguez (right knee arthroscopy), D - Roman Torres (right hamstring strain), M - Osvaldo Alonso (left quad strain), F - Will Bruin (left heel pain); QUESTIONABLE: M - Nicolas Lodeiro (toe fracture)

Projected Starting XI
(5-4–1, right to left)
GK: Stefan Frei — Kelvin Leerdam, Kim Kee-Hee, Chad Marshall, Gustav Svensson, Nouhou Tolo — Magnus Wolff Eikrem, Jordy Delem, Christian Roldan, Alex Roldan — Clint Dempsey

Notes: Seattle have only scored three second-half goals this year, the fewest in the league. Only one other team in MLS has scored fewer than seven second-half goals this year (the Sounders have scored seven goals total). … Seattle have only won two of their nine MLS games this season (5L-2D) and have failed to score in six of their nine games.

Real Salt Lake

Mike Petke made three changes to the squad that defeated D.C. United, 3-2, the previous week with Marcelo Silva and Adam Henley starting in the back four and Brooks Lennon moving from outside back to forward in a three-man front line.

Real Salt Lake (4-6-1) fell in a 2-0 hole after 34 minutes and pulled within a goal when Damir Kreilach struck for his second goal of the season in the 65th minute, but Ilsinho and Keegan Rosenberry scored for the Union seven minutes apart late in the game to sink RSL.

“Right now this is who we are,” Petke said after the game. “On the road, we don’t lose small. We lose big. We win big at home, [3-2] last week, a couple of grind outs at home. This is who we are right now.”

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: None
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: D - Tony Beltran (right knee surgery), M - Jordan Allen (knee injury), GK - Alex Horwath (Achilles surgery), D - Shawn Barry (knee), D - Demar Phillips (ankle injury); QUESTIONABLE: F - Joao Plata (quad injury)

Projected Starting XI
(4-3-3, right to left)
GK: Nick Rimando — Brooks Lennon, Justen Glad, Nick Besler, Pablo Ruiz — Kyle Beckerman, Albert Rusnak, Damir Kreilach — Jefferson Savarino, Corey Baird, Joao Plata

Notes: RSL allowed 10 shots on target last weekend, the second time an opponent has had 10 or more shots on target in a game this year. Montreal is the only other team in the league that has faced 10 or more shots on target in a game more than once this year. RSL face an average of 6.3 shots on faced per game, the third most in the league. … Real Salt Lake are winless in their last 10 away games (8L-2D) and have been outscored 25-8 along those nine games.

All-Time Series

Overall: Seattle Sounders FC 9 wins, 27 goals … Real Salt Lake 9 wins, 24 goals … 4 ties
At Seattle: Sounders FC 8 wins, 20 goals … Real Salt Lake 2 wins, 8 goals … 2 ties
Last meeting at Seattle: Seattle Sounders FC 1, Real Salt Lake 0 (May 20, 2017)