When was the last time the Sounders played all their starters?With abundant red cards and injuries, Seattle hasn’t had the personnel on field to develop the chemistry the expansion side desperately needs.
But, the Sounders might get their chance in front of a national audience this Wednesday against the Eastern Confrence’s crème de la crème, D.C. United, in Qwest Field.
To Continue...
Striker Nate Jaqua and defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado will certainly be returning to the starting lineup for the game. Osvaldo Alonso played off the bench last night in the 2-1 win and has a chance of starting against D.C. United.
Besides full strength, the Sounders will have another advantage: home field.
"People should be scared to come here," Freddie Ljungberg said. "We want this to be our fortress. We don't want a tie; we want to just have wins at home.”
Ljungberg scored Seattle’s first goal last Saturday on a chip shot over the head of the lunging goalkeeper.
Seattle will need to score against the high-powered D.C. United offense. The Sounders are undefeated when they score but have accumulated three losses when they’ve failed to find the net.
Jaqua should help in that regard. Statistically, he’s played his best soccer in June, scoring 11 goals in 23 matches.
On the defensive side, Hurtado rejoins Tyronne Marshall to patrol the back line, which can only improve Seattle’s defense. At 6-1, 183, Hurtado often makes his physical presence felt, which helped earn him his fifth yellow card of the season and his one game suspension.
Seattle had a scare in last night’s victory when Marshall, the former captain of the Jamaican national team, went down after colliding knee to knee. Afterward, he rolled on the turf in agonizing pain until the initial shock of the bone on bone impact subsided.
"I just had to suck it up," Marshall said.
Wednesday’s match starts at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes
Reach Aaron Weinberg at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
