SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC vs. MINNESOTA UNITED FC
CenturyLink Field | Seattle, Washington
08.20.17 | MLS Week #24 | MLS Game #24
9:00 p.m. CT (FS1, MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN)

2017 Records:
MIN: 6-13-4; 0-7-2 on the road
SEA: 10-7-7; 7-1-3 at home

Following a week off after a tough home loss to Seattle Sounders FC, MNUFC heads west with hopes of extracting a measure of revenge as they visit CenturyLink Field to once again face Sounders FC. It will be the team’s first trip to the Northwest since opening their inaugural MLS season in Portland against the Timbers. The match kicks off at 9 p.m. CT on FS1 and MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN, with pre-match coverage beginning on the latter at 8:30 p.m.

Having already faced a short turnaround earlier in the season when the Loons faced Sporting KC in MLS play in early June and then in Open Cup play a little more than a week later, Head Coach Adrian Heath feels there aren’t many specific lessons to be taken from the first match of a back-to-back with the same opponent. When dealing with a seasoned team who also happen to be the reigning MLS champion, what they do is not a mystery — it’s about doing what you can to disrupt it.

“One of the things that I was really worried about [with Seattle] was their counterattacking play with the players that they have at their disposal,” said Heath. “Now obviously, we’ll approach the game in a slightly different manner with the fact that we’re away from home, and we know how good they are on the counterattack. At home, I will always try and take the game to the opposition, which is what we did here. And had we got the goals that our play deserved at times, it might have been a different outcome.”

The newest addition to MNUFC — midfielder Ethan Finlay — joined the team in training this week, bolstering a roster that also added midfielder Sam Nicholson and defender Michael Boxall in the transfer window. Costa Rican national José Leitón is expected to join the team soon, pending visa approval, but isn’t expected to be there in time to face Sounders FC. Finlay, who was traded from Columbus Crew SC for a combination of GAM and TAM, also has some experience against Seattle, with Columbus having faced them at home earlier in the year.

“We were able to get a victory,” he said. “It’s a quality team going forward [in attack]. I watched a little bit of the first half actually of the Minnesota game when [Columbus was] on the road. Minnesota actually played pretty well in the first half there from what I saw. It just was unlucky. You know, Seattle is dangerous in transition. With guys like Will Bruin and Clint Dempsey and Jordan Morris, you give them one, two tries, they’re most likely going to finish. For me, it’s limiting those guys’ chances and taking ours when we can.”

Finlay might be doing all he can to fast-track his adjustment to his new team, but the speedy winger was born in Duluth and spent much of his childhood in Wisconsin, plus has family in the Twin Cities. It means he’s already well-acquainted with all the area has to offer and feels right at home.

“I think this is a unique city,” said Finlay. “I think it’s a little bit underrated. You know, people see it so far up here and they just think of cold, cold, cold. But it’s a vibrant city. It has a lot to offer. It’s a city that has four seasons — that’s something that has always been important to me. It’s a good place to raise a family. And it’s becoming a hot soccer community as well.”

Heath has seen that as well, saying, “Off the field, our support has been fantastic, considering the season that we’ve had so far. The support has been unwavering. And I notice it more now and around the city in the supporters. And it makes you even more determined to keep pushing forward. Keep moving. Working hard to give them a team that they can be proud of because I think that this can be a really, really good market.”

The gaffer and the rest of the team got to experience that in full force during their recent homestand, where the attendance topped 20,000 three times, including a sellout at 22,649 — Minnesota United’s first since its home opener back in March. Prior to the stretch of home matches, Heath had been hoping for results that could get them into the playoff hunt, but despite the lack of points, he felt the ultimate takeaways from the losses were better than the score might indicate.

“I look at the last two home games [and] at really crucial moments, very small dividing line between, did we take the chance to go 1-nil up?” he asked. “No, we don’t. Then we concede at the other end. Had we taken five or six, say we would have taken nine points, 10 points. It would have put us that much closer to the playoff line. If we play like we can, if we play to the level that we’ve done at places like Houston away, where we were the first team to take points. Our performance in Toronto was excellent. Performance at Dallas, in the beginning of the season, was excellent. This league is so up and down, you know, who’s to say that we can’t go to Seattle and win?”

Win or lose, though, Heath believes MNUFC should be looking forward to the matchup in one of the toughest stadiums in the league.

“That’s why you play football,” he said. “To play in them atmospheres. To go and challenge yourself in really hostile conditions against a really good team. The current champions. If you’ve got anything about you, you should roll your sleeves up and go, ‘Here, bring it on, let’s go.’”

The road ahead doesn’t get any easier as MNUFC will next head to a match-up with Bastian Schweinsteiger and the Chicago Fire, who are currently undefeated at Toyota Park. That match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, August 26, with pre-match coverage beginning on My29 and MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN at 7:00 p.m.

INJURY REPORT

Minnesota United
OUT:
M – Bernardo Anor (L Lower Leg)
M/D – Thomad de Villardi (L Achilles)
D – Joe Greenspan (Head)

QUESTIONABLE:
D – Marc Burch (B Athletic Pubalgia)
M – Cronin (Neck)
F – Ramirez (R Hamstring)

Seattle Sounders FC
OUT: 
D – Brad Evans (Lower Back Pain)

DISCIPLINARY REPORT
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FIRST TOUCHES

• This is the second time Minnesota will face Sounders FC in 15 days. It’s the shortest time between matches against the same opponent for the Loons in 2017.
• Seattle is unbeaten in its past eight matches. It has not conceded a goal in its last four matches.
• Sounders FC forward Clint Dempsey recently scored his 57th goal for the U.S. national team, drawing him level with Landon Donovan as the all-time leading scorer for his country.
• Minnesota returns to action after a bye week due to the rescheduling of its away match against Atlanta United originally set for August 12. The Loons will now play Atlanta on October 3.
• At 21 years and 291 days old, Abu Danladi became the youngest Minnesota United player to play a complete match in MLS on August 5.
• Joevin Jones is tied for second in the league with ten assists.
• Nicolas Lodeiro leads the league with 113 corner kicks taken.
• Stefan Frei recently earned his 9th clean sheet of the season, tying Sporting KC’s Tim Melia who was on the losing end of the 1-0 Sounders FC win last week.
• Sounders FC has scored three or more goals in seven of nine multi-goal matches.
• The Loons are the fourth most accurate team in MLS with 38.7% of shots ending up on frame.
• When MNUFC beat D.C. United 4-0 followed by losing 4-0 to Seattle, it was the fourth time in MLS history that a club won by four or more goals before losing by four or more goals in the next match.
• Minnesota is one of three clubs still searching for its first road win. The Colorado Rapids and New England Revolution are the other two teams.
• Eight of the Loons’ 11 remaining matches will be on the road.
• MNUFC Assistant Coach Mark Watson played for Seattle Sounders FC during their USL days, donning the green in 1997.
• Calum Mallace played for Minnesota in 2013 when he was loaned from Montreal Impact.
• Clint Dempsey and Miguel Ibarra played together on the U.S. national team in 2014 and 2015.
• Will Bruin and Jermaine Taylor spent five seasons together on the Houston Dynamo from 2011 to 2015. Bruin then played with Collen Warner on the Dynamo in 2016.
• Stefan Frei and Sam Cronin played the 2009 season with Toronto FC.
• Joevin Jones and Kevin Molino are both from Carenage, Trinidad and Tobago, and are members of the Trinidad and Tobago national team.