Sports Mole previews Sunday’s Major League Soccer clash between Seattle Sounders and Houston Dynamo, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Seattle Sounders will aim to maintain their unbeaten streak in Major League Soccer, extending it to four games, when they welcome Houston Dynamo on Sunday.
Similar to their hosts, the visitors are also seeking to preserve their unbeaten run, having secured three wins and two draws in their last five league fixtures.
Match preview
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After winning two consecutive matches, Seattle Sounders were looking to extend their winning streak to three games – however, they conceded a late goal against the San Jose Earthquakes, drawing 2-2 at Lumen Field on Thursday.
Brian Schmetzer‘s men, led by Jordan Morris‘ brace which was completed either side of Amahl Pellegrino’s goal for San Jose in the first half, almost secured victory for the Sounders, but Paul Marie’s 89th-minute strike salvaged a point for the Earthquakes.
The draw saw the Rave Greens drop to sixth place in the Western Conference of the MLS table, 11 points behind the league leaders with four matches remaining.
Seattle Sounders boast the second-best defensive record in the division, having conceded only 34 goals – however, they still need to improve their attacking output, as their tally of 45 strikes is surpassed by nine other teams in the west.
The Sounders will hope to return to winning ways to secure an automatic spot in the post-season playoffs, and their next fixture is against an opponent they have not lost to in their last five encounters, with four wins and one draw.
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However, Houston Dynamo will head into this clash with the hope that their current form is enough to help end the five-match losing run against the hosts.
The visitors have not lost any of their last five matches, leaving them in fifth place, one spot and one point above Sunday’s opposition with four matches left to play.
Ben Olsen‘s side left it late against Austin in their last league game at Q2 Stadium on Saturday, with Adalberto Carrasquilla‘s 84th-minute goal securing a 1-0 victory.
The Orange Crush have the opportunity to strengthen their grip of an automatic playoff spot with what will be a fifth consecutive away win in the MLS, however, they have never won an away game against Sunday’s opposition, losing 13 times and drawing thrice.
Seattle Sounders Major League Soccer form:
Seattle Sounders form (all competitions):
Houston Dynamo Major League Soccer form:
Team News
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Leo Chu remains sidelined for Seattle Sounders with a groin problem, while midfielder Joao Paulo is also out with a calf injury until next month.
Morris has scored 13 goals in 30 MLS appearances this season, more than any other Sounders player, and he will hope to add to his tally when he leads the line on Sunday.
Houston are dealing with injuries of their own, with Lawrence Ennali and Nelson Quinones both sidelined with knee issues, while Hector Herrera is also sidelined with a hamstring injury until next month.
Ibrahim Aliyu will be the man to watch for the visitors having scored the most goals in the team (six), with Ezequiel Ponce leading the attack.
Seattle Sounders possible starting lineup:
Frei; Tolo, Ragen, Gomez, A Roldan; C Roldan, Vargas; Rothrock, Rusnak, Vega; Morris
Houston Dynamo possible starting lineup:
Clark; Dorsey, Sviatchenko, Micael, Escobar; Artur, Carrasquilla; Kowalczyk, Bassi, Aliyu; Ponce
We say: Seattle Sounders 2-2 Houston Dynamo
While Seattle Sounders have picked up in recent weeks, Houston Dynamo have been flying for longer, and this is why we think that the visitors have what it takes to secure at least a draw here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.