Three keys: Sounders should be at full strength vs Toronto FC

In what may be one of the busiest weeks of the club’s season, the Sounders head to Canada to face Toronto FC just a few days after their big U.S. Open Cup win over Real Salt Lake in Utah that took 120 minutes and penalties.

It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but Clint Dempsey should be available on Saturday, at least off the bench if not in the starting XI. And luckily for Seattle, the majority of the players that played on Tuesday aren’t in the Sounders’ first-choice XI and can mostly be used as impact subs.

It seems like every week we say this, but this match is yet another opportunity for the Sounders to kick off what has been a very underwhelming MLS season so far.

Toronto FC, for all its star power, has been pretty underwhelming as well in 2016. When a team has such big names – including an MLS All Star – expectations are pretty high.

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Toronto barely made the MLS Cup Playoffs in 2015, and it was humiliated by its rival, the Montreal Impact, in the knockout round. Toronto currently sits in seventh place in the East with 19 points and a 5-6-4 record. The designated player trio of Sebastian Giovinco, Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore has been a mixed bag for the club, but the latter two are out with injuries and won’t be playing on Saturday. This could help the Sounders, but the danger of Giovinco shouldn’t be underestimated.

Here are three keys to Saturday’s match, which you can hear at 4:30 p.m. on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM (pregame coverage begins at 4):

Full-strength Sounders against depleted Toronto: It seems like injuries, suspensions and international duty have all plagued the Sounders at one point or another this season. Hardly a game goes by that the team isn’t missing one or two key players. But the Sounders should be at 100 percent on Saturday. Dempsey has been with the team since Monday and will likely feature. Other than Roman Torres’ long-term knee injury and fatigue from travel and Tuesday’s match, the Sounders should be at full health. Toronto, on the other hand, is crawling into the weekend gasping for breath. Its players have been dropping like flies in recent weeks. Altidore had to drop out of the U.S. national team due to a hamstring injury, Bradley is apparently suffering from an unknown post-Copa America knee issue, and starting goalkeeper Clint Irwin recently injured his quad and is out for at least a month. The Sounders absolutely must exploit Toronto’s weaknesses in those areas if they want to walk away with three points.

Sebastian Giovinco … enough said: He may not be at the very top of the scoring charts right now, but last season’s MLS MVP looks like he could take the award again if his form keeps up. Eight goals and six assists are solid stats for 15 games into the season, and the Italian striker takes the most shots per game in all of MLS. His insatiable desire for goals is nearly impossible to quell, and he’s more than capable of destroying Seattle’s defense on his own. The Sounders must absolutely do better than the horror show they put on against NYCFC last weekend. Giovinco will absolutely punish any mistakes that the defenders make. Brad Evans and Chad Marshall must be at the top of their game if they hope to contain his speed, technique and finishing ability.

Speed could help Seattle beat stingy defense: For all of the flash behind Toronto’s attackers, its defense has kept them in matches all season. Toronto is near the top of the charts in fewest goals allowed with 18, and only one of its six losses this season has been by more than a goal. This means that Toronto gets results with tight margins, and the slightest hiccup for either side could decide the whole match. The Sounders need to quickly pass through midfield and use speedy players like Joevin Jones and Oalex Anderson to beat fullbacks and push towards the goal. It’ll be hard to make something happen away from home, but operating with speed on the counterattack is key to breaking down a very difficult defense.