3 keys: Sounders look to clinch playoff spot vs Houston Dynamo

With the end of the regular season looming large for the Sounders, Wednesday’s match against the Houston Dynamo presents an opportunity for safety. Three points guarantee Seattle a spot in the playoffs. A draw or a loss isn’t the end of the world, but it would force the Sounders to wait until the next match for a chance at safety.

Davis: Nicolas Lodeiro to return early to Sounders from international duty

For Houston, this match is about one thing: pride. Statistically out of the playoffs and at the bottom of the Western Conference, the Dynamo has had an extremely poor year in the league. The team will be hoping for some signs of hope during its last couple matches of the season, because something has to change if Houston wants to compete for trophies in 2017.

Here are three keys as the Sounders host the Dynamo at CenturyLink Field on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM.

1. Is another late draw in the cards? Both matches between these two teams have ended with 1-1 draws in 2016, so another tie isn’t out of the realm of possibility. However, this match will differ in a number of ways from the first two, first and foremost because it’s in Seattle rather than Houston. It won’t be a hot, sticky match like the first two, but rather a cool Seattle night with a home crowd that will be pushing for a Sounders win. What’s interesting about those first two draws was that Houston led them for most of the 90 minutes, and Seattle had to rely on late equalizers to salvage a point.

2. Will Brian Schmetzer’s forced lineup changes have a big effect? With Joevin Jones unable to return in time from international duty and a hamstring strain Flaco Fernandez suffered during the Vancouver match making him a “game-time” decision, Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer is going to have to make some changes. The options to replace Jones at left-back are Dylan Remick and rookie Tony Alfaro, who is actually a more natural center back. Schmetzer doesn’t seem to have a ton of faith in Remick, though the 25-year-old hasn’t been too bad in the chances he’s had so far this year. Alfaro is a very talented player with a mean left foot, but I’m not sure if it’s a great time to toss him to the wolves at left-back. The Sounders will miss Jones’ attacking threat on the left but, hopefully for Seattle, whoever gets the nod can handle the defensive side of things. Herculez Gomez, who played against Vancouver in place of Nicolas Lodeiro, could retain his spot on the side if Fernandez is unable to play. Gomez probably had his best game for Seattle last week and is a solid veteran presence in the attack. I see him as maybe providing a better passing and crossing presence from the right than Fernandez but less of an aerial threat. If he can continue to play the ball well on the ground with Lodeiro and Jordan Morris, his inclusion could work out well.

3. If this match clinches the playoffs, will Schmetzer get the job? The Sounders aren’t always the kind of organization that broadcasts their moves, but sometimes rumors slip through the cracks. The Lodeiro transfer, for example, was widely rumored for weeks before anyone with the club acknowledged that it was interested in the player. There was some chatter about former coach Sigi Schmid’s departure the day that it happened but it seemed to have been kept under wraps pretty well. If Schmetzer does the impossible and drags this team into the MLS Cup playoffs, will the Sounders immediately sign him up for 2017 and beyond? Or will they continue the process and wait until the offseason? Fans will certainly be clamoring for Schmetzer if the team makes the playoffs, and the club will find it pretty hard to ignore.

Spenser Davis also covers the Sounders for Sounder at Heart.