Colorado Rapids vs. Seattle Sounders FC | 2018 MLS Match Preview

Dylan Butler

Colorado Rapids vs. Seattle Sounders FC
2018 MLS Regular Season — Week 19
Dick's Sporting Goods Park — Commerce City
July 4 - 9 pm ET
WATCH: ESPN+, MLS LIVE on DAZN (Canada)

Two teams needing to quickly move up the Western Conference standings meet at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park where a Colorado Rapids team that won back-to-back games in three games without defeat, host Seattle Sounders FC, who have won just once in their last seven.

This is the second straight Fourth of July showdown between the Western foes, with the Sounders coming away with a 3-1 win last year. Clint Dempsey provided the fireworks with a pair of goals and an assist on Will Bruin’s 30th-minute goal.

Since joining MLS, Seattle are 6W-3L-1D in league matches at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. They were held scoreless just once – a 1-0 loss in May 2010, per Opta.

Colorado Rapids

Have the Rapids (4-9-3) turned the corner? They won their second straight game Sunday — and first away from home — by knocking off Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 1-0, at BC Place.

The lone goal came in the 43rd minute, an own goal by Marcel de Jong after a shot by Joe Mason that was saved by Brian Rowe, the ball caroming off de Jong and into his own net. Although the Whitecaps were unlucky not to equalize, the Rapids hung on for their second clean sheet of the season.

“From the position we were in, it’s just important that we pick up as many points as we can and I think we’re incredibly pleased with tonight,” Anthony Hudson said. “But because of this week that’s just about to start, the key for us now is total focus on recovery, professionalism and making sure we’re ready for Wednesday.”

Suspended: M - Jack Price, D - Danny Wilson
Suspended after next caution: M - Johan Blomberg, M - Edgar Castillo
International duty: None
Injury Report: QUESTIONABLE: D - Marlon Hairston (undisclosed injury)

Projected Starting XI
(5-4-1, right to left)
GK: Tim Howard — Bismark Boateng, Deklan Wynne, Axel Sjoberg, Tommy Smith, Edgar Castillo — Joe Mason, Enzo Martinez, Sam Nicholson, Michael Azira — Yannick Boli

Notes: The Rapids have won back-to-back games for the first time since June 2017, which is also the last time they won three league games in a row. … The Rapids have conceded 2+ goals in six straight MLS home matches (1W-4L-1D), tied for the longest such streak in team history.

Seattle Sounders FC

Seattle (3-9-3) twice rallied from deficits before conceding with a little more than a quarter hour remaining in a 3-2 loss to the archrival Portland Timbers, who claimed three points at CenturyLink Field for the first time in MLS regular season play.

Nicolas Lodeiro assisted on equalizing goals by Victor Rodriguez and Chad Marshall, but defender Larrys Mabiala scored his second goal of the game in the 74th minute, leaping over Marshall to latch onto a Diego Valeri corner kick.

“The current state of affairs is not good,” Brian Schmetzer said. “We have to be realistic. It’s not good. We’ve really put ourselves in a hole. The work we do during the week to prepare for games, the effort I think the guys show, I think all of that is there. But at some point, we as coaches, need to take responsibility for what we do and players on the field need to take responsibility for what they do. We are not going to give up.”

Suspended: D - Nouhou Tolo
Suspended after next caution: M - Osvaldo Alonso, M - Cristian Roldan
International duty: M - Gustav Svensson
Injury Report: OUT: F - Jordan Morris (torn ACL), M - Handwalla Bwana (right midfoot sprain); QUESTIONABLE: D - Kelvin Leerdam (right hamstring strain), F - Felix Chenkam (right hamstring strain), M - Harry Shipp (right ankle sprain), GK - Stefan Frei (concussion), GK - Calle Brown (concussion)

Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, right to left)
GK: Bryan Meredith — Jordan McCrary, Kim Kee-hee, Chad Marshall, Waylon Francis — Osvaldo Alonso, Cristian Roldan — Nicolas Lodeiro, Clint Dempsey, Victor Rodriguez — Will Bruin

Notes: In 865 minutes with Lodeiro on the field this year the Sounders average 1.1 goals per 90 minutes, in almost 583 minutes without him that average drops to 0.3 goals per 90 minutes. … Seattle has not kept a clean sheet in their last eight league games (2W-5L-1D), their longest streak since going nine MLS games without a clean sheet in 2016.

All-Time Series

Overall: Colorado Rapids 5 wins, 24 goals … Seattle Sounders FC 15 wins, 40 goals … 2 draws\
At Colorado: Rapids 3 wins, 15 goals … Sounders FC 6 wins, 18 goals … 1 draw
Last meeting at Colorado: Colorado Rapids 1, Seattle Sounders FC 3 (July 4, 2017)