Sounders look to keep their positive momentum rolling as Inter Miami comes to town for first ever matchup

Seattle, WA – The Seattle Sounders welcome Inter Miami CF to Lumen field for the first matchup between the clubs. The Seattle Sounders are pumping on all cylinders lately, with an impressive past few games to advance to the Concacaf Champions League final. Seattle’s only injury is to Defender of the Year finalist, Yeimar, so the Sounders are nearly full strength. Miami has had a tough go of things so far this season, only picking up their first win last week. Both teams head into Lumen Field with varying levels of positive momentum. 

Albert Rusnak scored his first goal as a Sounders in the clubs leg one victory over NYCFC in the CCL Semifinal

Last match recap 

• Seattle Sounders: The Sounders last match was leg two of the Concacaf Champions League semifinal against NYCFC, a 1-1 draw, winning 4-2 on aggregate. Similar to their firs two, the Sounders looked like the team everyone expects them to be. The midfield looked in top shape, the attacking players wreaked havoc, and the defense was mostly lights out. It is still noteworthy to see how the Sounders will fare in MLS play, especially coming off of a big victory just two days ago. Their last game in MLS play was a 2-1 road win over Minnesota United FC 
• Inter Miami CF: Miami got it’s first win on the season with a 3-2 victory over the New England Revolution. Leondaro Campana’s 88th minute winner secured Miami’s first win of the season, against a Revolution team that looks like a shell of it’s 2021 form. Campana scored a hat trick in the match, recording goals in the 17th, 23rd, and 88th minutes. Last weeks performance makes Campana an easy target for this matches players to watch list. 

Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei had a marvelous performance in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions League semifinal!

Where they stand heading into this matchup 

• Seattle Sounders: 2-2-1, 11th in the Western conference
• Inter Miami CF: 1-4-1, 13th in the Eastern conference 

Players to watch on Miami

• Leonard0 Campana: It’s been a relatively rough beginning to the season, and things have not gone too well for Miami since their inaugural season back in 2020. Campana has been an early bright spot for this club in the early part of the 2022 campaign, highlighted so far by his hat trick in the clubs last match. The Ecuadorian-born attacker leads Miami with four goals. He should be the top priority to cover in this match. 
• Gonzalo Higuain: While Higuain is certainly not the player that he was in his time with Real Madrid or Napoli, he is Miami’s second highest scorer and still somewhat of an on the field presence to be worried about. Having Higuain’s knowledge should make this team dangerous simply because of his knowledge of the game. Expect Higuain and Campana to make the most noise for Miami. 
• DeAndre Yedlin: Yedlin is making his first real return to Seattle in several years. An O’Dea high school alumni, Yedlin was with the Sounders until 2014 when he signed with Tottenham Hotspur. Yedlin should receive a warm welcome upon his return to Lumen field. There have been reports, confirmed by Seattle GM Garth Lagerway, that Seattle has wanted to bring Yedlin back. While Yedlin and the Sounders remain to look mutually towards a reunion, it is interesting to wonder when that takes place.

Leonardo Campana scored a hat trick last week for Miami

Keys to a Sounders win 

• Bring the aggression early: Miami’s goal differential currently sits at a negative nine, currently worst in the league. With the offensive fire power that the Sounders have, getting off to a hot start and asserting dominance over Miami will be key to cruising to a win. This won’t even necessarily have to include having the full strength lineup in, as several of the Sounders new additions/ younger players will be able to bring the fight to Miami early. 
• Younger players step up: With the importance of the second leg matchup against NYCFC, it should be expected that several of the younger players will be making appearances Saturday night. Many starters will likely sit or will be taken out after halftime at maximum. This game will be a great opportunity for several younger players to get valuable experience early in the season.  Obed Vargas, Jackson Ragen, Leo Chu and perhaps a few other should see the pitch while some of the starters get a recovery day. 
• Continue to reclaim Lumen field as your fortress: The Sounders have started their 2022 campaign with a slightly better performance so far in home matches. While the Concacaf Champions League results show a different story of a team than compared to their results in MLS play, it is early in the season and there’s time to improve. Getting some of your newer and younger players into these valuable minutes could be critical to a deep playoff run this season. 

Credit to Melissa Levin for the photos used in this articles. Thank you  Melissa!