The last time the Seattle Sounders put in the kind of 90-minute performance you'd expect to see from a potential treble winner was on Oct. 5, a 4-1 win over a really, really bad Colorado Rapids team. The last time they put in a quality performance against a playoff-caliber team was Sept. 12, a 3-2 win over Real Salt Lake.
Sounders vs. FC Dallas, MLS Playoffs: Seattle right where they want to be
Seattle will advance with a shutout or a win of any kind.
Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports
That they still managed to win the Supporters' Shield and now head into the second leg of the Western Conference semifinals against FC Dallas needing only a shutout or a win to advance probably speaks to how good this team really could be. But to make good on all their promise, the Sounders are going to need to start putting more complete performances together. And make no mistake, this Dallas team is perfectly capable of pouncing if the Sounders can't do that on Monday.
Dallas is expected to have Mauro Diaz back in the lineup and fully fit or not, he's a dangerous player who could cause some serious problems for a Sounders defense that has not always been rock solid. Add him to an offense that already includes the likes of Fabian Castillo, Blas Perez and the set-piece majesty of Michel and they could easily score a couple goals.
The Sounders are also going into this one with a few concerns of their own. Gonzalo Pineda and Lamar Neagle are still recovering from injuries and may not be able to start. Marco Pappa and Leo Gonzalez should play, but they missed some training earlier this week with sickness.
Still, this is the exact scenario Sigi Schmid has been hoping for the past few years: Just needing to win at home to secure advancement. It would be a shame to see his run at history cut short so early.
Team News
FC Dallas is a different team when Mauro Diaz is on the field and all signs point to him being able to go. The central attacking midfielder was forced to sit out the first leg after being suspended and even though he hasn’t been full fit for a solid six months, Oscar Pareja is surely going to push him as long as he can.
Projected lineups
Sounders (4-4-2): Frei, Yedlin, Marshall, Scott, Gonzalez, Neagle, Alonso, Evans, Pappa, Dempsey, Martins.
FC Dallas (4-2-3-1): Fernandez, Watson, Loyd, Hedges, Hernandez, Michel, Olloa, Escobar, Diaz, Castillo, Perez.
Key Questions
1. How much impact can Diaz have? In Diaz’s 10 starts, FC Dallas has averaged 2.3 goals per game. In the 26 other matches, they’ve averaged just .81. That probably overstates Diaz’s influence, but it does illustrate just how he changes Dallas. When he’s out, their offense essentially consists of giving the ball to Fabian Castillo and looking to create set pieces. Diaz makes them far more dynamic and capable of scoring from the run of play. The question, though, is how effective Diaz can be as he’s only started twice since April.
2. Can the Sounders’ defense hold up? Yeah, this is getting a bit tired, but it’s going to be a running theme as long as the Sounders remain alive for the treble. This is a defense, after all, that gave up 50 goals during the regular season -- tied for the most among playoff teams and five more than any other Western Conference to qualify for the postseason. But if they can shut down a potent FC Dallas offense, the Sounders can at least start to quiet those doubters.
3. What does FC Dallas to do stop Martins-Dempsey? The Sounders' offense flows through Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins, this is not news. Shutting that duo down is always job No. 1. In the first leg, Dallas basically did this. Martins had a couple good looks and Dempsey got one or two himself, but neither got onto the scoresheet. If they get four good looks between them in Leg 2, though, it could be lights out for Dallas. Loyd and Hedges will need to up their game even more than they did in their solid first leg performance.
Prediction
There were previous versions of the Sounders that seemed to always come up just short in situations like this, that's how they've managed to make the playoffs in all six years of their existence but have only gotten to the conference finals once. This team feels different, though. Coming from behind to beat the Philadelphia Union on the road to claim the U.S. Open Cup was one glaring example. Beating the LA Galaxy in what was effectively a two-legged series for the Supporters' Shiled was another. Even managing a tie against FC Dallas in the first leg was an example of this. The Sounders will win 2-1 and continue their pursuit of the treble.
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