Behind Enemy Lines: Scouting Seattle Sounders BigSoccer.com

After a rough loss on Wednesday night in the US Open Cup against the New York Red Bulls, FC Dallas will have to dust themselves off quickly again as their weekend match is coming up quickly.

This weekend, they'll head west to Washington to take on the Seattle Sounders, who are coming off a draw in last week's rivalry weekend against the Portland Timbers.

Let's dive a bit into the Sounders and how FC Dallas can secure its first win at Lumen Field since 2011 season.

Key Player: Alan Rusnak

Out of the three DPs on the Sounders roster right now, Rusnak is the only one that can consistently stay healthy and contribute here. He currently leads the Sounders in scoring with six goals and three assists this season, including one against the Portland Timbers last weekend.

Key Matchup: Jesus Ferreira vs Shaq Moore

While Ferreira has yet to score a regular season goal with the Sounders, he is second in the team in assists this season with five. Dallas has more than enough tape on the guy to know what he likes to do, so finding ways to limit his time on the ball will go a long way in keeping the Sounders from creating chances in and around the penalty area.

Availability Report1:

Suspended: none
Out: Paul Arriola (knee), Jordan Morris (hamstring), Jackson Ragen (hamstring)
Questionable: none
On Loan: Leo Burney
International duty: none

Quick Notes:

All-time at home vs FCD: Seattle has dominated the series with FC Dallas in Washington since joining MLS. They currently own a 11-1-4 regular season record at Lumen Field.

Recent run against FCD: Since 2021, Seattle holds a 4-1-4 record against FC Dallas in regular season meetings.

Recent form: After downing FC Dallas in Frisco back in April for their second win of the season, Seattle has gone 3-1-2 in their last six matches.

Comparing the two clubs: Based on what we saw in mid-April, we know these two teams are going to be fairly even in terms of some areas of the matchup. Dallas will conceed some possession while relying a bit on the counter attack (especially on the road).

Potential Lineup:

Unlike Dallas, Seattle did not have a midweek match to deal with this week, so they'll be pretty fresh after wrapping up a three-game road trip last weekend. Brian Schmetzer continues to use a 3-4-2-1 this season, so we should expect something similar this weekend.

Frei, Gomez, Kim, Ragen; A. Roldan, Vargas, C. Roldan, Tolo; Kent, Rusnak, Ferreira, Musovski

Keys To Three Points over Seattle

1. Make the most of turnovers: I think I may end up saying this one for every game now, as it really seems to be what works for this club. We saw it in New York on Wednesday night with the two goals scored. It was a turnover in the midfield that led to some quick ball movement up the field. When it clicks, it really works.
2. Spread them wide: Like the counter attack from turnovers, Dallas still plays its best ball up the field when they are able to spread teams out along the width of the field. Most of the goals scored recently have come from balls that began along the wings and worked their way into the penalty area.
3. Bend but don't break defense: We know this team is going to be gassed after Wednesday night in New York. Not only did they play 120 minutes plus penalty kicks, they also had to immediately travel across the country to Seattle to prepare for this one. The defense will need to be locked in to this one and limit their turnovers in the defensive third. Tired minds and bodies are a bad combination on the road, so finding ways to limit and relieve pressure in the back could go a long way.

1 Note: MLS has a injury report deadline that doesn’t hit until the day before each game. Our scouting reports will include last week's report and will be fully updated the day before with our injury report for FC Dallas.