MATCH PREVIEW: ATLANTA UNITED VS TORONTO – PREDICTION, TEAM NEWS AND LINEUPS

The MLS playoff hopes of Atlanta United and Toronto are hanging by a thread as both sides meet on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in a critical match for each team. Atlanta have lost two in a row, currently trailing FC Cincinnati for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference by six points, while the Reds are just a point ahead of the Five Stripes but have played one more game. Internal issues within the Atlanta camp have reared their ugly head once again as the club suspended record goalscorer Josef Martinez for one game because of an alleged locker room altercation with manager Gonzalo Pineda.

As if that was not bad enough, injured defender Miles Robinson was arrested over the weekend and charged with one misdemeanour count, allegedly for refusing to pay for a 5$ shot that he had taken off a drink tray. With so much turmoil, one can only imagine what headspace these players are in, as this group have been littered with injuries and more infighting within the organization. Continue reading “MATCH PREVIEW: ATLANTA UNITED VS TORONTO – PREDICTION, TEAM NEWS AND LINEUPS” →

SOUNDERS EYEING RETURN TO WINNING WAYS

Seattle Sounders are eyeing a return to winning ways on the Major League Soccer (MLS) football scene ahead of their game with hosts Portland Timbers at the weekend. Sounders are guests of Timbers on Saturday evening. Seattle Sounders are on a three-match winless run ahead of the away game with Timbers. They have not won a game on the 2022 MLS football scene since the start of this month.

The last MLS win for Seattle Sounders came against FC Dallas onWednesday, August 3. Uruguayan star Nicholas Lodeiro scored the only goal of the game in the first half from the penalty spot. Since the FC Dallas game, Sounders have played Atlanta United, Real Salt Lake and Los Angeles Galaxy (LA Galaxy) without recording a single win. Continue reading “SOUNDERS EYEING RETURN TO WINNING WAYS” →

      SEATTLE SOUNDERS: KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM 2-1 WIN VERSUS COLORADO RAPIDS

Following the Sounders’ 1-0 loss in Chicago last weekend, we called it a defining moment in their season. Fortunately for everyone concerned, they bounced back on Saturday with a 2-1 home win versus the Rapids. Now it will be a case of building some momentum moving forward, starting with a massive away game on Friday against an LAFC side with the league’s best record. First things first though, here are four takeaways from the Sounders’ victory over the Rapids:

While you wouldn’t go as far as to say the Sounders had their backs against the wall, they were still struggling. With three consecutive losses and four in five games, they needed to turn things around. The game couldn’t have started much worse for Seattle, as they conceded a goal after just three minutes of play. Jonathan Lewis perfectly timed his run into the Sounders’ penalty area, rounded Frei and calmly slotted the ball home to give the Rapids a 1-0 lead. Continue reading ”      SEATTLE SOUNDERS: KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM 2-1 WIN VERSUS COLORADO RAPIDS” →

        PREVIEW: SEATTLE SOUNDERS VS COLORADO RAPIDS – PREDICTIONS, TEAM NEWS

Two teams in the bottom half of the Major League Soccer Western Conference will compete on Sunday in an encounter that both Seattle Sounders and Colorado Rapids will be desperate to win. The hosts head into the game without a victory in their previous three outings, while the visitors are undefeated across the same period of time.


Match preview

Seattle’s consistency has varied massively throughout the season as they have won eight times and lost 10, managing just two draws in amongst all of that. A change in that is something that could help the club push themselves further up the league table, and a victory could see them move as high as sixth place if other results go their way.

Despite that, Brian Schmetzer’s men are heading into this particular match on Sunday in poor form which they will want to put behind them as they have lost three consecutive matches. A bigger problem for Seattle is the fact that they have not scored a single goal throughout those fixtures, with plenty of pressure being placed on the attacking players right now. Their most recent outing saw them beaten 1-0 by Chicago Fire as Rafael Czichos scored in the first half, which proved to be enough to secure the result on the day.

Seattle Sounders Major League Soccer form:

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Colorado Rapids Major League Soccer form:

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Seattle Sounders possible starting lineup:

Cleveland; Rowe, Gomez, Arreaga, Tolo; Rusnak, Leyva, Morris, Lodeiro, Roldan; Bruin

Colorado Rapids possible starting lineup:

Yarbrough; Rosenberry, Abubakar, Wilson, Esteves; Acosta, Barrios, Rubio, Priso, Lewis; Zardes

Seattle Sounders might be higher in the league table, but they are not the favourites in this one due to their recent poor form, which is the opposite for the visitors. Colorado Rapids have been performing well as of late both defensively and offensively, and that confidence could see them continue that form this weekend.

VARGAS RULED OUT DUE TO INJURY

Seattle Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas has been ruled out of action for the foreseeable future due to a lower back injury. Sounders manager Brian Schmetzerinformed reporters during a press conference at Starfire Sports on Monday that the young player will spend some time on the sidelines due to a lower back stress fracture.

The back injury is a setback for Homegrown Player Vargas who has made a lot of progress in his professional football career within a short space of time. The 16-year-old is now a regular in the Seattle Sounders starting XI having worked his way into the team at the start of this year. Vargas worked his way into the Sounders XI on the back of impressive performances earlier this year including a strong display during theConcacafChampions Final as he helped his team win the competition for the first time. Continue reading “VARGAS RULED OUT DUE TO INJURY” →

        MATCH RECAP: TACOMA DEFIANCE DEFEATS TIMBERS2 3-0 AT CHENEY STADIUM

TACOMA, WASH. – Tacoma Defiance (5-2-3, 20 points) defeated Timbers2 (0-2-2, 4 points) 3-0 Tuesday evening in its first match of the season at Cheney Stadium. Cody Baker scored his first professional goal, while Marlon Vargas and Abdoulaye Cissoko each added strikes as Tacoma continues to move up the Western Conference standings, with the club currently riding a six-match unbeaten streak (4-0-2).

Baker bagged his goal in the 29th minute after Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez streaked down the left flank, centering a pass at the bottom of the area that Baker smashed home to give the home side the lead. After a Timbers2 player committed a handball in the area, Vargas converted the ensuing penalty to make it 2-0 in the 33rd minute. Cissoko added the final strike of the match in the 55th minute off a corner, getting his head to the ball played in by Danny Leyva to put Tacoma up three. Defiance goalkeeper Wallis Lapsley recorded a shutout in his second start of the season. Continue reading ”        MATCH RECAP: TACOMA DEFIANCE DEFEATS TIMBERS2 3-0 AT CHENEY STADIUM” →