Seattle played stride for stride with the Eastern Conference leading D.C. United. How will they fare against the other two conference leaders this month?
Seattle appears to have found their groove, most recently coming away with a 3-0 win against the Rapids. The shutout was reminiscent of their three-goal inaugural blank against the Red Bulls, which had the whole MLS talking.Now the team ranks third in the league with 25 points as they attack a crucial home stand stretch against two of the toughest teams in the MLS.
To Continue...
Seattle will finish off their home stand by playing the entire month of July at Qwest Field against two of the MLS's top ranked teams: the Eastern Conference leading Chicago Fire and Western Conference leading Houston Dynamo.
Midway through the season, these two July games should show how talented Seattle is compared to the MLS's cream of the crop.
This Saturday the rebounding Houston Dynamo, who lost to the L.A. Galaxy two weeks ago but won 1-0 against Kansas City Saturday, flies to Seattle to take on the streaking Sounders.
While Houston leads the league in goals allowed with just 10, they'll be facing one of the most efficient offenses led by Fredy Montero's eight goals, which is tied for second in the MLS. Seattle has 24 goals on the season, which is good enough for outright second place in the league.
After a friendly match against Chelsea FC July 18 Seattle returns to MLS competition against the Chicago Fire the next Saturday. The Sounders appeared outmatched in the last meeting but came away with a 1-1 draw.
Both matches are crucial games for Seattle, who appear to be improving by finding chemistry on the offensive side of the ball, because the Fire and Dynamo are two of the best teams in the league.
Seattle has already come away with a 3-3 heartbreaking tie against Eastern Conference leading D.C. United during their home stand.
Reach Aaron Weinberg at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
Posts
