Which version of the Seattle Sounders is the true representation of 2013? Is it the team that rallied forcefully past a slow start to go 4-0-2 between late April and late May? Or the lesser version that did go into things with such languid launch, and the same tame outfit that fell meekly in recent losses at Los Angeles and Real Salt Lake?
Seattle sits seventh in the West, although the position is a bit harsh since Sigi Schmidโs team has played three or four matches less than everyone else. But after a slow June theyโll start catching up on the field with five league matches in July and five more in August.
So at some point, Schmidโs team will need to make a move and get on a run to climb in a Western Conference that looks to be the stronger of the two.ย (The West was 3-0-2 in cross-conference contests against the East last week). Real Salt Lake and Portland are the leagueโs hottest teams. FC Dallas keeps grinding out results. The Vancouver Whitecaps have learned how to produce points on the road. Colorado keeps getting healthier and even San Jose is showing signs of life under an interim coach.
All of this is to say: if Seattle is going to make a move, there will never be a better opportunity to start than a home match against the leagueโs worst team โ and thatโs exactly what the Sounders have Wednesday. Kickoff at CenturyLink Field is 10 p.m. ET.
D.C. United is terrible. In fact, weโve already spent a lot of time beating on Ben Olsenโs team this week. Check it out here to see for yourself. And here, too.
United is last in ProSoccerTalkโs weekly rankings, winless on the road this year (0-5-2) with just one goal scored away from RFK. Extrapolated over an entire season, thatโs somewhere between two and three road goals, which would be an all-time league low.
Suffice to say, United is a mess. Bright spots? Perry Kitchen is still doing OK and veteran John Thorrington has been a reliable two-way midfield presence since he got back on the field. And โฆ well โฆ no, thatโs about it.
Whatโs worse for the cross country travelers, playmaker Dwayne De Rosario, promising young outside attacker Nick DeLeon and center back Dejan Jakovic appear to be out.
Young center back Ethan White (promising, although not quite there yet) will probably be in the middle of United back line again.
But neither will Seattle be at full strength, with Osvaldo Alonso perhaps not quite ready to get back into the Sounders starting 11. Thatโs significant hit, because Seattleโs midfield suffers mightily on both sides of the ball when the leagueโs top tackler is out. We saw it last week when the loss to Real Salt Lake turned into men-against-boys stuff in the center third.
One to watch Wednesday, if he plays, is Sounders right back DeAndre Yedlin, a very exciting young prospect at right back. Nursing a shoulder injury, the 20-year-old home grown Sounders product may not be available.
