The Sounders head on the road to Toyota Park to face the Fire in a rematch of the U.S. Open Cup, hoping to carry on their winning ways after a week off. The Sounders last match ended in a 1-0 victory, courtesy of a Zach Scott goal against the Colorado Rapids, which was his first MLS goal for the club. The Fire are also coming into the game with a win as they managed to fend off a Toronto comeback and run out 3-2 winners on the road.
Unlike Chicago, Seattle had a break from their MLS schedule and a weekend off, but not for all as a number of scheduled training matches were played which saw some positives as some injured and key players returned to the field.
Seattle will be hoping to replicate their U.S. Open Cup Final performance, which saw them beat Chicago 2-0 at CenturyLink Field and lift the trophy for a third consecutive time. The Sounders have a pretty good record when it faces Chicago, having never lost to them in all of their 6 meetings, but they have come up against a tough test when taking points away from Toyota Park with 1 win and 2 draws.
After making his MLS debut, and assisting Scott in his game-winning goal, Alex Caskey is hoping to cement his place in the Rave Green side. He has stepped into the position of the injured Fernandez and will be hoping to progress his game by seeing plenty of game time next to the well-oiled midfield pairing of Evans and Alonso.
Before Scott headed home the game-winning goal against Colorado, the Sounders had gone 306 minutes without a goal, longest in the MLS this season, and Montero will be hoping he opens his season’s goal account on Saturday. “I’m worried because that’s what I love, to play and score goals, But right now I’m more worried about the team. I’m happy because the team is winning games.”
(image courtesy of Getty Images)
