Preview: Seattle Sounders vs. Sporting Kansas City - prediction, team news, lineups

Sporting Kansas City have another opportunity on Saturday to clinch a playoff berth and also close the gap for first-place in the Western Conference when they battle the Seattle Sounders from Lumen Field.

Seattle earned a 1-1 draw in midweek versus the Colorado Rapids to guarantee that they will finish in a top four position this year, while KC need only a point to assure their place in the MLS Cup playoffs.

Match preview

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The theme on Wednesday in the Western Conference was comebacks, and there were a lot of them, including one in Colorado where a Cristian Roldan strike in the 81st minute gave the Rave Green a single point, increasing their lead over the Wizards to six points.

A victory this weekend would be their 200th all-time in the regular season, and if they can win their remaining four contests, Seattle will set a franchise record for victories in the regular season, eclipsing the mark of 20 set back in 2014, which was also their first and only time in which they finished the regular season in first place.

This team have been hard to slow down at home, scoring seven goals in their previous two contests at Lumen Field and firing 16 shots on target.

On Wednesday, they seemed to find their form and were a lot sharper on and off the ball than they were last weekend as they were able to catch the Burgundy Boys in transition in what was a tight tactical battle between Brian Schmetzer and Robin Fraser.

At the moment, they are the best defensive unit in the league, allowing only 26 goals, the second-fewest in their history, although they have struggled to keep Kansas City at bay, conceding six goals against them in their previous two home fixtures, including a 3-1 defeat against them back in July.

Despite missing the second leading goalscorer in MLS over their past four games, it has not impacted their form all that much in the final third, having scored nine times without Raul Ruidiaz, while outscoring their opponents 9-1 in their previous four affairs on home soil.

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Even though Kansas City have been one of the most consistent teams in 2021, they have struggled to seize opportunities presented to them this season, including last Sunday when they missed a chance to clinch a playoff berth, losing 2-1 to the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Missing the postseason is by no means a concern for Peter Vermes and his side, but throughout the year, the players have failed to capitalise on their opportunities to claim first place, losing their lead in late September with a defeat at home to the Sounders and failing to close the gap with the Rave Green last weekend after Seattle had lost the day before.

The Wizards have played well versus the reigning Western Conference champions, going 7-3-3 against them in their last 13 regular-season meetings, and if they want to claim the top spot out west for a second successive year, they might need a victory this weekend.

KC will need to be a lot more aggressive than they were against the Caps as they were far too timid when in possession, failing to test goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau consistently.

Kansas City usually get a lot of touches over a 90-minute match, but at times they have struggled to get into dangerous areas away from home, having been shut out in four road matches this season and scoring just a single goal three times as the visiting team.

Team News

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Leo Chu picked up his first assist for Seattle since joining the team on loan from Gremio in Brazil, setting up the equaliser from Cristian Roldan, who now has six goals on the year, matching a career-high set in 2019 and 2017.

Seattle will be missing the same group of players that we have not seen in recent weeks, including Ruidiaz, who has a left hamstring strain, Brad Smith is out with a right AC joint sprain, Nicolas Lodeiro might not be back this year after undergoing right knee surgery, Jordy Delem is unlikely to return due to a right ACL tear and Jordan Morris has not played all year because of an ACL injury.

The versatility of midfielder Joao Paulo has been invaluable to Brian Schmetzer and his team, with the Brazilian averaging over 67 touches over a 90-minute contest while being a pivotal piece to their offensive puzzle in linking their play from defence into the attacking zone.

Johnny Russell was the best player for the Wizards last weekend, scoring his sixth goal in six games, which is the longest streak in team history and is tied for the longest in the league this year.

Andreu Fontas has been a big part of the possession approach employed by Vermes, averaging over 78 touches per game, while his usual partner at the back Luis Martins is the only KC player to appear in all 29 regular season matches and goalkeeper Tim Melia is third in MLS in wins with 13, which is tied for the best mark by a Wizards goalie in an MLS campaign in the non-shootout era.

Alan Pulido is out with a knee injury, Felipe Hernandez is suspended, and Jaylin Lindsey remains on the sidelines because of a hamstring issue.

Seattle Sounders possible starting lineup:
Frei; Tolo, O'Neill, Andrade; Rowe, C. Roldan, Paulo, A. Roldan; Chu, Montero, Bruin

Sporting Kansas City possible starting lineup:
Melia; Martins, Fontas, llie, Zusi; Kinda, Duke, Walter; Salloi, Shelton, Russell

We say: Seattle Sounders 2-2 Sporting Kansas City

Even though both sides are missing some key attacking pieces, these are two of the deepest offensive teams in the league and among the most experienced, so expect to see each of them find at least a couple of openings.

Neither side have a problem picking themselves back up following a defeat, with KC a perfect 6-0 after a loss while the Sounders have only dropped consecutive MLS games once this year.