Houston Dynamo will welcome Seattle Sounders to the Shell Energy Stadium on Sunday for the second game of their MLS Cup first-round tie.
After triumphing in a penalty shootout in the first meeting, the visitors head to Texas knowing a victory on the day would see them book their Conference semi-final place with a game to spare.
Match preview
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Houston Dynamo return to the Shell Energy Stadium on Sunday hoping to keep their MLS campaign alive and draw level in their first-round best-of-three series.
El Naranja booked their place in the first round of the playoffs by finishing fifth in the Western Conference having earned 54 points, three more than they picked up in a fourth-placed finish in 2023.
Last year's run saw the Texan outfit advance through two rounds to the Conference final and eventually fall short to Los Angeles FC, and they again booked a top-seven finish to bypass the wildcard round with a strong end to the regular campaign, picking up five wins and 17 points from their final nine outings, culminating in a 2-1 home victory over Los Angeles Galaxy thanks to Daniel Steres's winner in the 11th added minute.
That booked a tough draw with Seattle Sounders for Ben Olsen's side, and after being reduced to 10 men just after the hour mark with Adalberto Carrasquilla sent off, they stood strong to hold the hosts to a goalless stalemate in 90 minutes, only to come away empty-handed having fallen just short in the penalty shootout with Erik Sviatchenko's miss being the only difference in the five spot kicks.
Houston Dynamo now face the tough test of winning both of the remaining games to progress in the playoffs, and they will look to start by making the most of home advantage and coming out on top on Sunday to level the series.
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Their visitors, meanwhile, travel to Texas with the aim of continuing an eye-catching domestic run to advance to the conference semi-finals, having finished the regular season in fine form to seal a top-seven spot.
Of their 57 points from 34 outings in the regular season, Seattle Sounders earned 35 in the last 15 games to storm to a fourth-placed finish, winning 11 of those and only losing twice along the way.
After the last of those defeats at the beginning of September, Brian Schmetzer's side ended the campaign with a seven-game unbeaten streak including five more victories, culminating in back-to-back wins over Houston Dynamo, Vancouver Whitecaps and Colorado Rapids and a draw with Portland Timbers.
That victory over Houston extended an impressive record against El Naranja, having moved to six games unbeaten against their first-round opponents heading into the playoff series, before they added to that run further in game one, taking the lead in the tie as Raul Ruidiaz, Albert Rusnak, Jackson Ragen, Cristian Roldan and Alex Roldan all converted their penalties after the goalless stalemate.
After falling short in the Western Conference semi-finals in the 2023 MLS playoffs, Seattle Sounders now have the final eight in their sights once again and will look to confirm their passage with a game to spare with a victory on the road on Sunday.
Team News
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Houston Dynamo head into Sunday's meeting without winger Adalberto Carrasquilla, who is suspended after his red card in Tuesday's game, while Lawrence Ennali and Nelson Quinones remain sidelined by injuries.
With no player in the squad having netted more than six goals this season, Ezequiel Ponce should again lead the line with his six having come from just 14 appearances, while Sebastian Kowalczyk should take Carrasquilla's place on the right flank.
Key men Hector Herrera and Artur will continue their partnership in the midfield, while Erik Sviatchenko and Micael will line up at the heart of an unchanged back four after the goalless draw last time out.
Seattle Sounders could be without attacker and top scorer Jordan Morris, who picked up an injury in the first game on Tuesday, while Cody Baker could also be ruled out again.
In what could be the only change from that game, Raul Ruidiaz should come in to lead the line in Morris's absence, having managed eight goals so far this season and scored in the penalty shootout.
He will have support from Pedro de la Vega, Paul Rothrock and Albert Rusnak, who boasts 10 goals and 13 assists in the MLS this season, while Joao Paulo and Cristian Roldan will continue their partnership in the engine room.
Houston Dynamo possible starting lineup:
Clark; Dorsey, Micael, Sviatchenko, Escobar; Herrera, Artur; Kowalczyk, Bassi, Aliyu; Ponce
Seattle Sounders possible starting lineup:
Frei; A Roldan, Gomez, Ragen, Tolo; Paulo, Roldan; De La Vega, Rusnak, Rothrock; Ruidiaz
We say: Houston Dynamo 1-0 Seattle Sounders
Given both teams' tight defensive records, the two strongest in the Western Conference this term, and the tight nature of the first fixture on Tuesday, we anticipate another close contest at the weekend which could be settled by a single goal.
Needing a victory to keep their hopes alive, we back Houston Dynamo to make home advantage count and take the tie to a decider with a first victory over Seattle Sounders since 2021.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Sam Varley
