There is some recent bad blood between the two clubs
Seattle, WA – In another Saturday matinee, the Sounders will host Sporting Kansas City at Lumen Field for the first time since the “Tim Melia” incident. If you don’t happen to recall, the last time that the clubs met in Seattle, Sporting keeper Tim Melia became unhappy with Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan. Melia grabbed Roldan, and body slammed him in a fashion resembling Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s signature move, the “Rock Bottom.” The match was very chippy, but Kansas City got the last laugh with a Johnny Russell game winning goal in the 79th minute. Seattle, coming into this match with solid form over their last five, is seeking revenge.
Stefan Frei and Seattle’s defense have been solid again this season
Last match recap:
- Sounders: In their last match, Seattle played a close and hard fought match against LAFC. Seattle was able to score shortly after halftime, as Albert Rusnak made a heads up play. A pass by Los Angeles keeper Maxime Crepeau was telegraphed, and stolen by Rusnak. Rusnak flashed in like lightning, taking the ball and putting it in the net. The Sounders were playing an incredible game to that point, holding a narrow lead over the best club in MLS on paper. Los Angeles stayed persistent, as Cristian Arango was able to convert a header in the 79th minute. The clubs would split points, a result that Seattle will absolutely take.
- Sporting: In their last match, Sporting dominated Union Omaha in a US Open Cup matchup. A Quarter-Final matchup, Sporting found the back of the net six times. Holding a solid two goal lead at half, things would really ramp up following the start of the second half. Kansas City scored four in the final 45, with two by Felipe Hernandez. Sporting now moves on to the Western semifinal, where Sacramento Republic will play host.
Cristian Roldan will have some extra incentive in this match
Where they stand heading into this matchup
- Sounders: In MLS play, Seattle posts a 6-6-2 record. The Sounders have a 4-2-1 record at home. They rank 7th in the Western Conference
- Sporting: In MLS play, KC posts a 4-9-4 record. Sporting has a 1-6-2 record on the road, and rank 12th in the Western Conference.
Players to watch on Kansas City
- Remi Walter: The 27-year-old French midfielder is Sporting’s highest rated player, stepping in with a 7.19 rating on the season. Walter has been one of those underrated players as his goal numbers are not big. Two goals on the year and one assists for Walter. Walter leads the club in passing percentage amongst qualifying players with 88.5% and forward passes with 349, playing 12 crosses. Keeping a lid on Walter will be critical to making sure that Sporting does not get clean chances on net.
- Johnny Russell: Remember that name? You probably do because of Russell’s play last season, as well as his match deciding goal against Seattle last season. Russell is one of those players that you love to hate, but just as easily would enjoy having on your club. Russell is the goal leader for Sporting with five this season, playing in and starting all but one match so far. Russell is somebody that the Sounders will want to keep an eye on when Saturday rolls around, as you do not want a repeat performance from him similar to last season.
- Tim Melia: It will be very interesting to see how the Seattle crowd welcomes Melia. And by that, I mean that I expect to hear a wide array of insults and vulgarities thrown towards the Sporting keeper. In perhaps some news that the Seattle faithful will enjoy, Melia does not have stellar numbers in net. Melia has allowed a 1.71 goal allowed on average, with a 53.2 save percentage. The Sounders have the firepower, they just need to convert.
Johnny Russell’s 79th minute goal won the game for Sporting last October
Keys to a Sounders win
- Exact revenge against Sporting: This was a match last year that resulted in lots of anger, and was felt in the games afterwards. The loss came amid the Sounders poor stretch to end the regular season. That poor stretch of play eventually factored into a first round exit against Real Salt Lake. The Sounders were upset in the days following, due to the ruling that saw Melia only get one game suspension. Seeing Melia body slam Roldan in the net was something I had never seen before. Seattle will surely get up for this match, hopefully resulting in a resounding win.
- Don’t fall for the bad record trap: While Sporting comes into this match with a poor record overall and an even worse one on the road, it’s key to not fall for it. Sounders manager Brian Schmetzer even said this last match postgame, that despite their record, Sporting will bring a nice fight to this match. Seattle already has extra reason to get up for this game, but they have to be prepared for Kansas City. Sporting will be prepared for this match, Seattle must do the same.
- Be clinical and take advantage of a bad KC defense: As stated in the news about Tim Melia, Sporting has a poor backline and Melia has not been much better behind them. The Seattle Sounders have plenty of offensive firepower, what is important is being efficient. Getting some good chances on net will surely lead to a Seattle lead. Be on top of your game, be smart with your chances, and you should see a positive result.
Thank you to Melissa Levin and Paul Kahl for the great photos used in this article! Thanks Mel and Paul!
