FC Dallas vs. Seattle Sounders FC
2017 MLS Regular Season
Toyota Stadium – Frisco, Texas
Saturday, September 16 – 8 pm ET
WATCH: MLS LIVE
A free-falling FC Dallas side will be looking to arrest their traditional summer slide, one that this year has imperiled their playoff chances. It won’t be an easy task, however, as to do so they’ll they have to snap a nine-game winless streak against a Seattle Sounders side that hasn’t lost since June 17 (12 games).
The Sounders, however, will have to make do without forward Jordan Morris, who looks like he will miss the remainder of the regular season after picking up a hamstring strain in Seattle’s 1-1 draw with the LA Galaxy on Sunday evening.
Luckily for head coach Brian Schmetzer, he can count on the services of Will Bruin – who has scored 58 goals in seven MLS seasons – to fill in for the injured US national teamer. And while Bruin has actually been more prolific in front of goal this year, the Sounders will miss Morris’ ability to get in behind, overpower opposing defenders and keep defenses honest, as Schmetzer noted on Wednesday.
On the Dallas side of the equation, head coach Oscar Pareja and his men had some serious soul-searching to do after a 3-0 loss to Atlanta on Sunday afternoon that could’ve been much worse. Pareja put out a full-strength lineup for Atlanta’s opener in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but after they were played off the field, the Colombian coach will need to decide whether to stick with what is close to his best XI, or make changes in order to spark a response from his team.
FC Dallas
- Suspended: None
- Suspended after next caution: D Matt Hedges, M Carlos Gruezo
- International Duty: None
- Injury Report: None
Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, right to left)
GK: Jesse Gonzalez – Hernan Grana, Walker Zimmerman, Matt Hedges, Maynor Figueroa – Kellyn Acosta, Carlos Gruezo – Michael Barrios, Mauro Diaz, Ryan Hollingshead – Maxi Urruti
Notes: Against Atlanta, FC Dallas conceded multiple goals for the seventh time in the last eight games, the fourth time in that stretch they allowed three goals or more. FC Dallas did not concede more than two goals in a game in their first 19 league matches this season.
Seattle Sounders
- Suspended: None
- Suspended after next caution: None
- International Duty: None
- Injury Report: OUT – D Brad Evans (lower back pain), F Jordan Morris (right hamstring strain)
Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, right to left)
GK: Stefan Frei – Kelvin Leerdam, Chad Marshall, Roman Torres, Oniel Fisher – Osvaldo Alonso, Cristian Roldan – Nicolas Lodeiro, Clint Dempsey, Victor Rodriguez – Will Bruin
Notes:Lamar Neagle scored his first goal since returning to the Sounders from D.C. United. It was Neagle’s 27th league goal in a Sounders uniform, fourth-most in team history and his first since June 28, 2015. … Osvaldo Alonso recorded his third assist of the season, his first since June 25. The three assists are one shy of his MLS single-season career-high set a season ago.
All-Time Series
- Overall: Dallas 5 wins (22 goals) … Seattle 10 wins (35 goals) … Ties 5
- At DAL: Dallas 4 wins (15 goals) … Seattle 3 wins (12 goals) … Tues 4
Referees
Referee: Hilario Grajeda
Assistant Referees: Nick Uranga, Andrew Bigelow
4th Official: Daniel Radford
Video Assistant Referee (VAR): Guido Gonzales Jr
