Three things to watch in Sounders vs FC Dallas

As the high-flying Sounders head to Dallas, both teams are coming off of exciting wins that should make for a highly competitive match on Saturday. As I mentioned in my scouting report of FC Dallas, Seattle’s opponent this weekend staved off a four-match losing streak by beating the Portland Timbers 2-1 on Wednesday. Seattle is coming off of two wins at CenturyLink Field, and hopes to get another in the notoriously difficult to play in Toyota Stadium.

Are the Sounders prepared for yet another difficult away match? Their last trip was to Colorado, where they were handed a Jermaine Jones-inspired 3-1 loss. Their other away matches weren’t much better – a 2-1 loss at Real Salt Lake and a last-gasp 1-1 draw at Houston. Seattle’s attack has gotten significantly better over the course of the season, but the Colorado loss exposed their problems in both offense and defense.

Here are three things to watch from the Sounders in Saturday’s match, which kicks off at 6 p.m. on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM:

1. Few, if any, lineup changes. Sounders coach Sigi Schmid has done a lot of tinkering with his team selection this season, partially due to injuries and other problems, but mostly just because things weren’t working. Last week’s starting XI had the freshly healthy Erik Friberg in for Cristian Roldan, which relegated a healthy Nelson Valdez to the bench. That team did rather well in the 2-0 win, and I don’t expect much to change about that lineup. If anything did change, I’d expect Roldan to come back into the side for Aaron Kovar and push Clint Dempsey from the midfield to the attack (where I think he belongs). Roldan has been solid in midfield this season but lost his starting place to Friberg, whose creativity was far more important. Against a fast team that likes to attack on the counter, adding a quick central midfielder like Roldan to help protect the defense could be useful. Andreas Ivanschitz could also come in for Kovar, but I don’t see the Austrian knocking Friberg out of the lineup.

2. The Morris Show goes on the road. Even in the Sounders’ big loss to Colorado, Jordan Morris scored a goal and laid the foundation for his record-breaking scoring streak. His blistering form won’t let him coast to another goal on Saturday, but if anyone is going to score on the stubborn Dallas defense, it’s the rookie. It may take some extreme creativity or fresh legs late in the game to provide the right chance, but Morris’ ability to run onto through balls could expose Zimmerman and the tough FCD defense. Keep an eye on the youngster throughout the match; it wouldn’t surprise me if he popped up with a dramatic equalizer or winner late in the second half.

3. The match could be decided on set pieces. This Major League Soccer season has seen a rather high number of goals scored directly from free kicks, a few of those coming from the two teams battling it out in Dallas on Saturday. Mauro Diaz and former Sounder Mauro Rosales have each scored from a direct free kick this season, while Seattle has two dangerous takers in Ivanschitz and Dempsey. If the former doesn’t start, expect Dempsey to take any dangerous kicks the Sounders earn; he hasn’t scored any in the MLS season yet, but he scored one against Club America in the CONCACAF Champions League prior to the start of the season and has scored plenty more throughout his career. The chaos of a free kick could throw a wrench into either teams’ likely defense-heavy gameplan, so watch closely if you see the referee take his can of spray foam out anywhere near the penalty box.

Spenser Davis also covers the Sounders for Sounder at Heart.

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