Sports Mole previews Sunday’s Major League Soccer clash between Austin FC and Seattle Sounders, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Fresh off the back of reaching the semi-finals of the US Open Cup, Seattle Sounders journey to the Q2 Stadium to take on Austin FC on Saturday.
The Verde have failed to win any of their previous three home games against Brian Schmetzer‘s men and will head into the weekend looking to end this poor run.
Match preview
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Austin FC turned in a resilient team display last Sunday as they fought back from behind to secure a 2-1 victory against New York City FC when the sides met at the Q2 Stadium.
After falling behind to Andres Perea‘s early opener, Gyasi Zardes restored parity right on the stroke of half time to swing the momentum in favour of the hosts before adding his second of the game in the 69th minute to complete the comeback.
Austin have now won two of their last three matches — with a 2-0 loss at Sporting Kansas City on June 30 sandwiched between the two victories — having failed to win any of their previous five matches preceding this run.
With 30 points from 22 matches, Josh Wolff‘s men are currently ninth in the Western Conference standings, level on points with eighth-placed Houston Dynamo, and one point off Saturday’s visitors who are currently seventh.
While Austin will be looking to secure back-to-back wins for the first time since May, they will have to be at their best this weekend as they take on a Seattle Sounders side who are unbeaten in six of their last seven meetings, picking up three wins and three draws since May 2021.
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The Sounders booked their spot in the semi-finals of the US Open Cup on Thursday morning when they picked up a nervy 2-1 victory over USL Championship side Sacramento Republic FC.
Josh Antecio and Jordan Morris netted in a 15-minute spell to put Seattle Sounders in the driver’s seat heading into the second half, and after substitute Juan Sebastian Herrera scored for Sacramento in the 49th minute, they held firm to see out the win.
This was in keeping with their impressive form in the league, where they are on a three-game winning streak and are unbeaten in each of their last five matches, claiming four wins and one draw since a 2-1 loss against Sporting Kansas City on June 9.
With Wednesday’s result, Seattle Sounders have now scored at least two goals in each of their last six matches across all competitions, highlighting a significant improvement at the attacking end of the pitch.
Schmetzer will hope his side can keep the juggernaut rolling this weekend as they take on an Austin side who have been near impenetrable at the Q2 Stadium, claiming six wins and three draws in their last 10 games since the start of March.
Austin FC Major League Soccer form:
Seattle Sounders Major League Soccer form:
Team News
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Colombian midfielder Jhojan Valencia was forced off midway through the game against New York City FC and the 27-year-old is a major doubt for Saturday’s game.
Should he fail to shake off the injury, former Columbus Crew man Hector Jimenez could come into the fold, forming the two-man midfield anchor with 33-year-old Alexander Ring.
Zardes grabbed his first two league goals of the season to inspire the Verdes to victory against New York City FC last time out and we expect the 32-year-old to lead the attack once again.
Seattle Sounders, on the other hand, remain without 24-year-old forward Braudilio Rodrigues, who continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines through a hamstring injury.
With his strike against Sacramento Republic last time out, Morris has scored eight goals in his last 10 matches and the former Swansea City man will be one to keep an eye on.
Austin FC possible starting lineup:
Stuver; Gallagher, Hines-Ike, Vaeisaenen, Guilherme; Ring, Jimenez; Obrian, Driussi, Wolff; Zardes
Seattle Sounders possible starting lineup:
Frei; Roldan, Gomez, Ragen, Tolo; Vargas, Paulo; Rothrock, Rusnak, Chu; Morris
We say: Austin FC 2-2 Seattle Sounders
Seattle Sounders have hit their stride in recent weeks and will head into Saturday’s game with sky-high confidence. However, Austin have been tough to crack at home this season and we see them holding out for a share of the spoils.
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