Here's another Seattle team fighting for a playoff spot, as the #Sounders face the #Fire tonight at CenturyLink Field: pic.twitter.com/NxHc5l7kZo
— Nick Patterson (@NickHPatterson) September 29, 2016
Seattle Sounders FC has a crucial match against the Chicago Fire on Wednesday night. Seattle is trying to ride a late-season surge — 5-1-3 since coach Sigi Schmid was fired and replaced by Brian Schmetzer on an interim basis — to continue its streak of making the playoffs in each of the first eight seasons. Going into Wednesday the Sounders had climbed to within three points of Portland, which occupies the sixth-and-final playoff position in the MLS’s Western Conference, with two games in hand. This is one of those game in hand, and it comes at home against the team with the worst record in the league. So this represents a massive opportunity for the Sounders.
Here’s the lineups:
SOUNDERS (11-13-5)
Starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Frei; J. Jones, Torres, Marshall, Mears; Roldan, Alonso (c); Ivanschitz, Lodeiro, Fernandez; Morris.
Bench: Miller, Fisher, Scott, Sturgis, Gomez, Valdez, Anderson.
Notes: Seattle keeps faith with the same starting lineup that won 4-2 against the Los Angeles Galaxy on the road Sunday. Playmaker Nicolas Lodeiro, signed as a designated player in late July, has been as advertised as the Uruguyan international has contributed at least a goal or an assist in eight straight games. Forward Jordan Morris is also on a roll, having scored four goals in his past four contests to bring the rookie’s total to 12 for the season. Both defender Brad Evans (calf) and midfielder Erik Friberg (ankle), who were listed as questionable, are left out of the squad. This is Seattle’s first game since announcing that star forward Clint Dempsey will miss the remainder of the season because of his irregular heartbeat.
FIRE (6-14-9)
Starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Johnson; Vincent, Meira, Campbell, Kappelhof; Polster, Cocis (c); Accam, de Leeuw, Alvarez; Solignac.
Bench: McLain, Harrington, Gehrig, Goossens, Arshakyan, Thiam, Stephens.
Notes: Chicago has scored just 36 goals this season, which is tied for the second-fewest in MLS, so the Fire will be looking for more out of wingers David Accam (eight goals, four assists) and Arturo Alvarez (five goals, seven assists) and target man Luis Solignac (two goals in nine games since being acquired from Colorado). Goalkeeper Matt Lampson (toe) is out injured, while midfielder John Goossens (back) is on the bench. Left back Brandon Vincent, the team’s lone All-Star selection, squares off against his former teammate in Morris, as the two played collegiately at Stanford.
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