San Diego is riding a five-game unbeaten streak, the longest in their tenure thus far. On Wednesday, they travel to Seattle to face a Sounders team that is looking for revenge after losing 3-0 at Snapdragon Stadium on April 5th.
If the defeat in San Diego was the half-way point in the season so far, the Seattle Sounders have shown marked improvement, posting an impressive 5-2-1 record. It’s a significant turnaround for a side that stumbled out of the gate with a 1-3-2 start to the season prior to that loss.
Riding the Momentum
After a thrilling victory at home against LA Galaxy, where Chucky Lozano headed in the game-winning goal on the last minute, San Diego looks to continue their winning ways in Seattle. Like most road games, it will prove to be another tough match away. Much like San Diego — Seattle is unbeaten at home. These are the type of games that SDFC will rely heavily on their DP’s (Designated Players) to make a difference.
Relying on Difference Makers
Chucky and Dreyer have been the difference makers for SDFC this season. Chucky’s uncanny ability to make runs carves up every defense he’s faced. The Mexican international also plays defense, a quality that sets him apart from the other wingers in the league. Last game, he chased down Gabriel Pec 70 yards and tackled the ball away. With five goals and six assists, Chucky will need to be able to continue his form in Seattle if SDFC want to be the first team to beat them in their house.
Anders Dreyer leads the team in goals and assists with six and seven, respectively. The Danish international is having a dream start to the season. He is hated amongst the Galaxy fans due to scoring both goals in the opening game of the season, which led to the 2-0 win and providing the assist in the game-winner of the return leg on Saturday. San Diego will lean on his services to come out on top in Seattle.
Credit: SDFC
Seattle Scouting Report
Seattle is dealing with injuries to key offensive players like Jordan Morris and Danny Musovski. Morris is an all-time leader in goals scored for the Sounders so missing him and Musovski left a lot of room for improvement up top. Without a true number nine, Seattle finds themselves with similar problems offensively as San Diego, after the injury to Marcus Ingvartsen.
Both Seattle and San Diego needed to get creative to fill in the missing role. Seattle is trying their luck with Jesus Ferreira up top but he has yet to produce any goals and seems to be struggling a bit to adjust to the center forward role instead of his natural winger position. In the absence of a clear striker, Seattle has found success in dangerous players like Pedro de la Vega and Albert Rusnak, who have been the difference makers.
Credit: Seattle Sounders
Another player the Sounders tried up top (and who they’re hoping turns out to be great) is a young player named Osaze De Rosario who’s been on a tear in the lower leagues of MLS NEXT. De Rosario came on in the final stages of the match against FC Dallas and was a clear change-of-pace player. It remains to be seen if he gets the nod up top over Ferreira against San Diego.
Getting Creative in Time of Injury
Much like Seattle, SDFC have not found a clear replacement for Ingvartsen. Dreyer and Mighten fill that role but they’re both more effective on the wings. Perhaps, Mikey Varas chooses to go with a similar lineup he used against Seattle in the first leg, where he played Onni Valakari in the false nine role.
Also, it remains to be seen whether the injury that forced Willy out of the game last Saturday will keep him out of the game tomorrow. If he cannot go, it would be nice to see Loffelsend get another crack at the wing-back spot. After all, he played a key role in setting up Chucky’s first goal for San Diego FC during their 3-0 home win over Seattle.
Credit: SD Union Tribune
Keys to the game
Clearly these are two different teams as compared to the last meeting. Seattle’s high press then forced key mistakes, nearly leading to goals. However, San Diego has since improved at playing out from the back and found success using the wings on counter-attacks—an approach they’ll need to continue with confidence.
Seattle tends to give up space in the middle of the field when they give the ball away. Their transition has given them issues recently which led to counter attacking opportunities for the opposition. With San Diego being strong in the middle, they should find attacking chances if they play quick through balls. Look for Dreyer, Chucky, and Mighten to get in behind the lines.
Can San Diego FC Break Seattle’s Home Fortress?
Can SDFC be the first team this season to go into Lumen Field and hand Seattle their first home loss of the season? The statistics point to the obvious answer but we all know that this game is much more than that. Either way, this matchup promises the fast-paced, high-intensity action that has made San Diego FC such an exciting team to watch.
If you enjoyed reading this article, please consider following me on Instagram @sdfcnation and signing up for the email list so that you never miss a new post and SDFC news delivered straight to your inbox.
