After netting a goal in his first start can the Argentine contribute to the Sounders international aspirations?
By Toby Dunkelberg
The Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League continues tonight at CenturyLink Field as the Seattle Sounders host the Honduran C.D. Olimpia. The Sounders currently lead group F on away goals after their 1-1 draw against the Vancouver Whitecaps on August 5th. With a win in this game the Sounders would be sitting comfortably in first place and in control of their own destiny. Olimpia are looking to stop that and grind out a road result despite the absences of midfielder Bayron Méndez, starting goalie Donis Escobar, and defender Edgar Flores. Even still this is a team with more than eight CONCACAF appearances and Cascadia experience after advancing past the Portland Timbers in last years Champions League. Needless to say, the Sounders are going to need to really bring it if they want to get any sort of separation in their group with this result.
Three Keys to the Game
1. Remember who you are – The Seattle Sounders are no stranger to this international competition having advanced past the group stage twice and losing a nail-biter in the 2012-13 semi final game to Santos Laguna. This is a team that has plenty of experience agains the Latin American style of play and so they know that they need to take advantage while at home. And there’s no better time to do that. With Martins, Alonso, Dempsey, and everyone getting back into the line-up, not to mention all the new signings, this is a team that looks set to regain their form from the beginning of the season, and against a weakened Olimpia side, tonight’s a chance to make their presence felt.
2. Exploit the centerbacks – The expected starters for tonight for Olimpia are Fabio de Souza and Johnny Palacios, at 35 and 28 respectively they’re no spring chickens although their aerial prowess remains. De Souza has amazing positioning but at his age he simply lacks speed. Palacios makes up for that but he has a tendency to get caught up in midfield so if the Sounders can make him miss they’ll be off to the races. That pairing also looks to be especially susceptible to quick passes, if Palacios bites and misses it’s very likely that de Souza can’t keep up with quick intricate passes. So look for the Sounders to launch balls over the top as well as the quick one two’s and give and goes that they’re so famous for.
If the Sounders keep the pressure on Olimpia won’t be able to spring their speedier attackers.
3. Seize the moment – Latin American teams have a distinct advantage at home due to the sheer noise they generate at home and the culture shock for foreign travelers. Last year the Portland Timbers were on top of the world after winning 4-2 over Olimpia at Providence Park but a 3-1 shocker in the ensuing road feature kept them from advancing in the group. Because of how hard it is to travel into Olimpia the Sounders need to at the very least get a full three points if they want to advance from group F. In all likelihood they need to win by two goals or more if they want to have a good chance of advancing simply because Olimpia has a track record of getting the improbable scoreline necessary to advance when in their own stadium. All indicators point to Sigi Schmid starting a strong lineup but I’d expect him to slot in at least one of Valdez, Martins, or Dempsey to ensure a favorable result that lets them travel to Olimpia next week with a comfortable lead.
Location – August 19, 2015 7:00PM, CenturyLink Field Seattle, WA
Broadcast – TV – FOX Sports 2 Radio – KIRO Radio 97.3 (Seattle)
Expected Starting 11 – Perkins, Fisher, Scott, Ockford, Remick, Ivanschitz, Rose, Azira, Roldan, Neagle, Valdez.
Score Prediction – Seattle Sounders 3 – C.D. Olimpia 1
Sounders FC
