Seattle Sounders vs Charlotte

Lumen Field is the venue as Seattle Sounders and Charlotte go head-to-head in their first-ever MLS showdown.

A narrow 1-0 defeat away to Colorado Rapids last time out disrupted Seattle’s two-game winning run in MLS, leaving them second-bottom in the Western Conference. The ‘Sounders’ need to rack up a substantial winning streak if they are to avoid missing out on the MLS Cup play-offs for the first time in history. Playing at home against the competition debutants would be a massive leg-up in normal circumstances, yet Brian Schmetzer’s men have alternated between victories (2) and losses (2) across their last four home league matches. Curiously, while both Seattle’s wins in that four-game sequence saw them score precisely three goals without a clean sheet, the two defeats yielded the same 1-0 scoreline. With three of their last four home league goals conceded coming before half-time, Schmetzer will be desperate for a cagey approach in the early stages.

On the other hand, despite alternating between winning (2) and losing (2) across their last four MLS fixtures, Charlotte come into this matchday on the threshold of the play-off zone. Only two points adrift of Inter Miami, the visitors are vying for their first MLS victory on hostile turf, having gone winless on their inaugural six travels (D1, L5), averaging just 0.5 goals per game. Meanwhile, they conceded 11 goals across those six away matches, letting in at least two per game in five of them. In fact, only four sides from both conferences have shipped more first-half goals on the road than Charlotte (6) this season, highlighting the visitors’ propensity for hectic starts.