The Seattle Sounders welcome FC Dallas to Lumen Field this Saturday in a regular season game in Major League Soccer. But the standings do the game no service. On the one hand, a Sounders team starting to cultivate the early seeds of stability after its third game in a row on the road. On the other, a tired and emotionally drained Dallas looking up at its worst bogeyman: the city of Seattle.
The stats are tilted. FC Dallas hasn't won at Lumen Field since 2011. 16 contests have played out since then and 11 losses, four draws and the lone win is the result. And this Saturday doesn't look good for the Texans.
Sounders hope to get back on track at home after uneven stretch
Brian Schmetzer's team comes back from their road trip with a bag of mixed goods. They won 3-1 over Houston Dynamo, got routed 4-0 at LAFC and concluded the trip with a 1-1 draw versus Portland Timbers. They begin a trio in a row at home in Lumen Field. That is good news to Sounders' fans. Away this season, the team hasn't lost the fifth game and won three and tied two and amassed 11 points and tied the team in the position of seventh place.
In the event the team might miss regular starters like Jackson Ragen and Jordan Morris, the team relies upon the home defense they have built up and the dominant home performance against Dallas. Further, returning home after playing in succession in the road also provides more than logistical convenience but also a psychological lift to a team looking forward to more stability this year.
Dallas arrives tired and in low spirits
With the mood positive and hopes high in Seattle, the scenario in Dallas couldn’t contrast more. Quill’s team has their third game in a span of seven days since a ceremonial defeat and bitter elimination. They two Saturdays ago lost the Texas Derby 2–0 in front of their home crowd to Houston Dynamo: the team’s first home loss to the city foes since 2011 at the club. Worse still, the El Capitán trophy, a replica 18th-century cannon, left Toyota Stadium.
Next up was the US Open Cup where Dallas lost to the New York Red Bulls in a penalty shootout when they twice led. The result added to the physical and emotional toll and the team will need to rebuild before playing the team they have struggled against in this arena since over a decade back. This is a time to rebuild from within and comes as the visit to Seattle remains the latest test of character. Surprisingly enough, Dallas has played extremely well on the road this season.
They have the highest number of road points out of any Western Conference team. And having lost the two home games in emphatic fashion, the mental hurdle might prove to be just as tall as the physical one. The team will need to find their rhythm to break the streak and begin the comeback that more and more desperately needs to happen, and dig their way back out of 11th position in the MLS.