WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: SEATTLE SOUNDERS
Welcome back to What You Need To Know, a preview for Austin FC fans to check in on their next opponent.
Opponent: Seattle Sounders
Kick Off time: 7:38 PM
Location: Q2 Starium, Austin TX
History vs. Austin FC:
Austin FC is 1-3-3 all-time against Seattle including a 0-0 draw this season I won’t link to it because it’s better we forget it happened.
Recent Matches:
They are undefeated in their last five matches dating back to June 8 and have only lost twice since April 30 after a poor start. They currently sit in 7th place in the Western Conference.
Players to Watch:
Jordan Morris
The former USMNT striker has been on a great run of form since Seattle has returned to deploying him as the main striker the past six games, scoring five goals, including a beautiful opener against the NE Revolution last weekend where he controlled the ball in transition, laid it off to Albert Rusnak, ran behind and bullied a defender to finish. For a team like Austin that struggles to defend in transition, he’s a player who can take advantage.
Jackson Regan
There are teams in every sport that are annoyingly good at their roster construction. Seattle is one of those teams. Whether it’s calling up a bunch of teenagers to play (and beat Austin) or using a supplemental roster spot on a 25-year-old defender who is second on the team in minutes like Regan, it’s what we hope Austin’s roster can become with Rodo in the kitchen.
Albert Rusnak
Originally brought in to help their CONCACAF Champion’s League chances and to bolster the creativity of their midfield, he’s become a mainstay in Seattle and is the key to linking their defense and attack. His runs and movement are key for Austin to track and a big reason why he leads the team and is tied for 5th in MLS in assists.
Keys to the Match:
Playoff Crunch Time
With 22 matches played, we are roughly two-thirds of the way through the season and now is the time for a playoff push. Currently the 5th through 10th spots in the West are separated by four points and both teams tonight are included in that morass. In MLS every point matters, but in matchups against other teams in the playoff fight those points matter even more. To be a playoff team Austin is going to have to get through the remaining 12 matches where 11 of the opponents are currently above the playoff line.
Beating the Heat
Seattle is playing their third game in eight days and while Saturday they played in the friendly temperatures of the Pacific Northwest their US Open Cup match against Sacramento on Wednesday had a higher temp to start than tonight’s match. Brian Schmetzer did rotate on Wednesday in preparation for this game, but they still played mainstays Nouhou, Yeimar Gomez Andrada, and Cristian Roldan the full 90 minutes.
Reinforcements
Osman Bukari and Mikkel Desler are already in Austin and training with the team per the club’s social media to provide extra lift and upgrade positions of need for the club (attacking winger and right back). Oleksandr Svatok is a different situation, the Ukrainian Centerback provides an upgrade to a position that is already the deepest on Austin FC’s Roster (Julio Cascante, Leo Vaisanen, Brandon Hines-Ike, and Matt Hedges have all started this season) and adding him creates a log jam at the position when it comes to salary figures for those five players. With other teams (FC Cincinnati, Inter Miami) needing defensive help for their MLS cup aspirations and extra attacking options, we may see Austin upgrade via intraleague trade with their newly added depth.
See you at Q2!
