Seattle Sounders vs. Minnesota United FC
2017 MLS Regular Season - Week 24
CenturyLink Field - Seattle, Wash.
Sunday, August 20 – 9:30 pm ET
WATCH: FS1, FOX Deportes in USA; TSN in Canada
Two teams on opposite ends of the Western Conference face off in a match which sees the home team and defending champions Seattle Sounders (10W-7L-7D, 37 pts) enter as clear favorites, especially when you take into account their 4-0 win in Minnesota on August 5.
The Sounders are not only tied for first place in the West, but they're also unbeaten in their last eight matches (5W-0L-3D). They're also in the midst of a club-record 400-minute shutout streak – they last conceded a month ago, on July 19 – and they only strengthened themselves with the addition of starting-caliber talent during the transfer window.
Expansion side Minnesota United (6W-13L-4D, 22 pts), who are still in search of their first MLS road win, have their work cut out for them. Their four losses in their last six matches have left only faint playoff hopes (they're 10 points adrift of the final playoff spot) and top scorer Christian Ramirez is still working his way back from a hamstring issue. Although new transfer window addition Jose Leitonisn't expected to join the club in time for Seattle, ex-Crew SC winger Ethan Finlay could help inject some new life into an attack which has struggled to come through in key moments.
Seattle Sounders
- Suspended:None
- Suspended next yellow card: None
- International duty:None
- Injury Report: OUT — MF Brad Evans (lower back pain)
Projected Starting XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Stefan Frei — Kelvin Leerdam, Roman Torres, Chad Marshall, Joevin Jones — Osvaldo Alonso, Cristian Roldan — Nicolas Lodeiro, Clint Dempsey, Jordan Morris — Will Bruin
Minnesota United FC
- Suspended: None
- Suspended next yellow card: MF Ibson
- International duty:None
- Injury Report: OUT — MF Bernardo Anor (left lower leg), DF/MF Thomas de Villardi (left Achilles), DF Joe Greenspan (head injury); QUESTIONABLE — DF Marc Burch (athletic pubalgia), MF Sam Cronin (neck), FW Christian Ramirez (right hamstring)
Projected Starting XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Bobby Shuttleworth — Jerome Thiesson, Michael Boxall, Francisco Calvo, Ismaila Jome — Ibson, Collen Warner— Ethan Finlay, Kevin Molino, Sam Nicholson — Abu Danladi
All-Time Series
Sunday's will be the second and final time the two teams will see each other in MNUFC's inaugural season in MLS. The Sounders took the first-ever encounter between the two clubs in Minnesota by a 4-0 scoreline on August 5.
- All-Time (1 match): Seattle 1W-0L-0D (4 GF / 0 GA); MNUFC 0W-1L-0D (0 GF / 4 GA)
- In Seattle (first meeting): Seattle 0W-0L-0D (0 GF / 0 GA); MNUFC 0W-0L-0D (0 GF / 0 GA)
Referees
Referee: Ismail Elfath
Assistant Referees: Ian Anderson (bench side), Eric Boria (far side)
Fourth Official: Daniel Radford
Video Assistant Referee (VAR): Drew Fischer
