REAL SALT LAKE v. SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC

Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Green. Sounders FC are off to Sandy, Utah, where dreams go to die, to play a midweek fixture against, mountain-dwellers and royalty impostors, Real Salt Lake.

What: MLS league match, Real Salt Lake v. Seattle Sounders FC.

Where: State Street, Sandy, Utah.

When: 6:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, Wednesday 15 May 2024 CE.

At Stake: At this stage of the season, the Salt Lake fixture is about 50% jockeying for position in the league and 50% club morale. 26 of the league’s 29 clubs will play a midweek fixture on 15 May. Sounders might rise as high as 16th place. All that has to happen is for us to defeat the Salt Lake,  Philadelphia (v.NYC) to do no better than draw, for Montreal (v.CLB) to win, and for LAFC (@STL) to win their match. That’s all. No biggie, right? Should we be defeated we could drop as low as 22nd. That scenario would require victories from Nashville (v.TOR), Montreal, Orlando (v.MIA), and Atlanta (v.CIN).

Sounders FC are currently 19th in the league table on 13 points, 14 points adrift of leaders, Miami. Sounders will face Phoenix Rising at Starfire on 22 May in the US Open Cup 5th Round. Should we defeat Phoenix Rising it would be the first time the Sounders FC reach the Quarter-Final stage of the tournament under Brian Schmetzer’s management.

Where to Watch: MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.

Where to Listen: 93.3 KJR FM and El Rey 1360 AM.

Playing in the thin air at State Street is never a jolly time. Can we win this match. I don’t see why not. Sounders FC are always in with a shout. No matter what the odds. I expect to see our away section battering away at the eardrums of anyone within range. You lot need to look after each other, and stick together. Back here in the Evergreen, let’s pour out some more of that positive psychic energy. The kind that gets our laddies through the meatgrinder of a veteran team in the US Open Cup. The kind of energy that sees us defeat the hated Treecutters for the first time in nearly three years. You lot know what to do. Pubs and dwellings for stories and tellings. Houses and flats for pints and cats. Boats and ships for pie and chips.

It’s Sounders football, under the lights at State Street. Buckle up ye rapscallions, this one’s gonna be so wooly it’ll straighten your hair. GO ON YOU SOUNDERS!! GET IN!!

Before kick-off, please join me in the auld toast: “TO THE SEATTLE SOUNDERS FOOTBALL CLUB…AND VICTORY!!!”

Let’s see, we’ve got four matches in 11 days, but only three healthy centre-halves that the Gaffer likes to play. Wot to do?

The Good News

I rather like the way Jonathan Bell has been playing at centre-half. He has been steady and reliable. Do wish the Gaffer would stop calling him a kid though, as Jon is 26 years of age. In the same interview he also called Nouhou a kid, even though the Cameroon and Sounders FC left-back is also 26 years of age. The main thing being, Bell is an asset, and Hawkins also looked composed enough to be in the team at this level.

The victory in the league against our rivals on Sunday sees the Sounders FC climb to 19th in the league. You like to see it.

Our form is getting better. I’m gonna give it a Schmetzery level of spin. Sounders FC are…wait for it…3-2-2 in our last seven matches. That’s right, things are coming ‘round. Rest of MLS and cup opponents, you’re on notice.

Although the Sounders away form has been spotty overall, signs of life were seen on Sunday in Portland. This is good. The Sounders defence is still holding and is tied for fourth-best in the league (1.17 goals conceded/match).

With four goals in the last two matches in all competitions, the Sounders FC’s attack has come back to life. This is good, because they’re going to need that attack to get through the midweek fixture in Sandy.

The Bad News

Sounders FC have an all-time record of 1-4-11 (W-D-L) in matches played at Salt Lake’s State Street ground. Between the altitude at State Street and the two-day turnaround, it would be a miracle if we got a result and no one got hurt. I am fervently hoping we get that miracle and that no one is hurt.

Salt Lake are the statistically more likely team to score two goals (1.67 goals/match) and are tied for fifth in the league in goals. Salt Lake’s defence is stingier than ours and is tied for second-best in the league (0.92 goals conceded/match).

Salt Lake currently sit 3rd overall in the league on 22 points. Their last loss was on 8 May, but that should be taken with a grain of salt. It was their US Open Cup 4th Round fixture, their first in the tournament. They ran out a team of about half their youngers in Albuquerque and got bashed 4:2 by New Mexico United of the USL Championship. Salt Lake’s last loss in the league was on 9 March when they succumbed to Colorado Rapids 1:2 at State Street. Salt Lake are 3-1-1 at home in the league.

Salt Lake spent only €1.7M on transfers in the off-season, yet they’re in 3rd place in the league table. This means they are either out-scouting us, out-coaching us, or both.

Of all the players the Sounders FC lost in the off-season, the club was only paid a transfer fee for one, Arreaga to New England for €70,000. Arreaga’s estimated transfer fee is €1.8M. Salt Lake sold Savarino and Loffelsend for a total of over €2.5M. Care to comment on that, Craig Waibel?

MLS really has to stop letting the Marquis de Sade draw up the fixture list. Seriously, MLS, do better.

The Side I Would Select

So there are three factors that should determine the team.

1. The State Street ground in Sandy is at an altitude of 4450’. The International Society for Mountain Medicine considers anything 4900’ or above to be High Altitude. So that’s pretty close. That means it’s a factor, because science.

2. There was a two-day turnaround from the match at Portland, which was played in high heat and humidity, those players have not yet recovered, physically or chemically. Those players should only be in the team if they played less than 30 minutes Sunday, or there’s just no help for it due to injury. Even then, subs should be made after half-time.

3. There’s only two days between the midweek fixture at Salt Lake, and the Cascadia Cup-tie in Seattle against Vancouver, to be played Saturday 18 May.

Oh, also 4. Nouhou is suspended because he got nicked for his fifth booking at Portland. You gotta keep your head, bruv.

This would be my selection for the match at Sandy.

Rationale: Our older players should be nowhere near this match, as the altitude and proximity to the last match will not produce a favourable outcome if your expectation is for your over 30 veterans to play the full 90 minutes. They would be sucking wind, before the hour mark with the possibility of increased attrition which we can’t afford.

Thomas over Frei because we need Stefan for the match against Vancouver, and also a 25 year-old will do better in the altitude, than a 37 year-old. Baker-Whiting needs to play, and with Nouhou suspended, we can rely on Reed to deputise for the Cameroonian left-back at a similar level of quality. I didn’t want to put Bell in this lineup, but he’ll need to play at least 45 minutes before giving way to Gomez Andrade or Ragen. Hawkins proved his quality and composure in the US Open Cup match against Louisville City. Not only does he deserve a chance in the team, but he has the composure and experience to excel and it frees up Ragen and Gomez Andrade to face Vancouver on Sat. I know, two youngers with little experience meant to hold at 6 and 8 seems like not a sensible pairing. Joao Paulo is 32 years old and only has recently recovered from injury. There’s no way Joao Paulo should play in this match. It’s just irresponsible as he went 76 minutes in the heat and humidity in Portland on Sunday. The young lads will have to do, and the experience will do them good. This will pay dividends for the team down the line, as the fixture clutter right now is absolutely draconian. These decisions were made in part because I think Leyva might be best qualified of the rested players to play behind the forwards and help generate something resembling a cohesive attack. Leo Chu because he didn’t play Sunday. Minoungou because he didn’t play Sunday. Musovski because he only played 14 minutes in Portland, and he has the added motivation of getting one over on his old mates in Utah.

GK     Thomas

LB     Baker-Whiting

LCH    Bell

RCH    Hawkins

RB     Baker

LDM    Kossa-Rienzi

RDM    Kitahara

LF     Leo Chu

CAM   Leyva

RF     Minoungou

CF     Musovski

The Side I Think The Gaffer Will Select

It’s true, we’ve won two in a row, and congrats to all. That said, this is exactly the type of match where you should dig deep into the squad to make sure your players aren’t thrashed. For three reasons. 1. It gives your youngers experience against a quality team, which pays dividends down the road. 2. It decreases the chances of injury to your more vulnerable and often selected players. 3. It demonstrates an understanding that footballers are human beings, not robots. They have physical limits and those limits are adjusted by environment, age, and usage. This was well-understood for US Open Cup. Will the same standard apply for this match? If I was able to guess the team at Portland, because everyone else was thrashed, you can bet your sweet arses that Pablo Mastroeni will be able to guess the team as well.

Sure as the sun rises and sets, I predict the Gaffer will do as he always does, and make it a jigsaw puzzle of juggling minutes for a handful of players, and the full 90 minutes for the rest. Look for players expected to be in the team on Sat to bow out between the 60th and 70th minute. I expect Leo on the left moving Jordan to the right in absence of the injured Vargas, who has been re-cast in an experiment at right-forward. Raul is a matchday decision due to a sore foot, If I’m the gaffer, I want Raul for Sat. I’d expect Musovski to fill in here for multiple reasons. I expect to see this selection, and also all subs used, likely after the hour mark to rest some players a bit before Sat.

GK     Frei

LB     Baker

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Gomez Andrade

RB     Alex

LDM   Joao Paulo

RDM   Cristian

LF     Chu

CAM   Rusnak

RF     Morris

CF     Musovski

Intangibles

The referee for the midweek fixture in Sandy will be Ismir Pekmic. Pekmic has presided over 43 MLS league matches.

Sounders FC record in matches refereed by Pekmic: 0-0-1

Salt Lake record in matches refereed by Pekmic: 1-1-1

General notes on personnel

Salt Lake transfers IN:

Silva - free agent

Bonilla - draft

Barajas (Charleston Battery) €230,000

Katranis (Piast Gliwice) €275,000

Crooks (Middlesbrough) €1M

Matthew Bell - draft

Gozo - reserves

Moisa - reserves

Quinton (Columbus Crew SC) €188,000

Salt Lake transfers OUT:
Benitez - released

Kreilach (Vancouver Whitecaps FC) free

Caldwell - retired

Musovski (Seattle Sounders FC) free

Nyeman  (SK Beveren) end of loan

Loffelsend (Colorado Rapids) €91,000

Savarino (Botafogo) €2.45M

Rubin (Queretaro) loan 

Pierre (Colorado Springs Switchbacks) loan

Lambert (San Antonio FC) loan

Comparison against common opponents

RSL 3:0 LAFC

LAFC 2:1 SEA

(against LAFC: RSL 1-0-0 +3, SEA 0-0-1 -1) edge RSL

RSL 1:2 COL

SEA 1:1 COL

(against COL: RSL 0-0-1 -1, SEA 1:1 COL 0) edge SEA

VAN 1:2 RSL

SEA 0:2 VAN

(against VAN: RSL 1-0-0 +1, SEA 0-0-1 -2) edge RSL

PHI 1:2 RSL

PHI 2:3 SEA

(against PHI: RSL 1-0-0 +1, SEA 1-0-0 +1) even

LAG 2:2 RSL

LAG 1:0 SEA

SEA 0:0 LAG

(against LAG: RSL 0-1-0 0, SEA 0-1-1 -1) edge RSL

Know Thine Enemy

The Salt Lake as they lined up in their 2:2 draw against LA Galaxy at Avalon Boulevard on 11 May.

GOALKEEPER

Zac MacMath, 31

United States

Notable Clubs: Philadelphia Union (103/0), Colorado Rapids (31/0), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (8/0), Real Salt Lake (85/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €400,000

Notes: Developed by IMG Academy. Played his university football for Maryland (65/0).

DEFENCE

Alexandros Katranis, 26

Greece

Notable Clubs: Atromitos (49/0), Mouscron (8/0), Hatayspor (22/1), Piast Gliwice (64/0), Real Salt Lake (9/2)

Estimated Transfer Value: €500,000

Notes: Developed by Atromitos.

Philip Quinton, 24

United States

Notable Clubs: Columbus Crew SC (13/1), Real Salt Lake (2/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €300,000

Notes: Developed by FC Portland. Won MLS Cup with Columbus Crew SC.

Justen Glad, 27

United States

Notable Clubs: Real Salt Lake (225/13)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2.5M

Notes: Developed by Real Salt Lake.

Bode Hidalgo, 22

United States

Notable Clubs: Real Salt Lake (41/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €800,000

Notes: Developed by Real Salt Lake.

MIDFIELD

Braian Ojeda, 23

Paraguay (8/0)

Notable Clubs: Olimpia (28/1), Defensa y Justicia (10/0), Nottingham Forest (3/0), Real Salt Lake (47/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €3.5M

Notes: Developed by Olimpia. Won a Paraguayan Primera Division title with Olimpia.

Emeka Eneli, 24

United States

Notable Clubs: Real Salt Lake (33/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €250,000

Notes: Developed by Columbus Crew and Ohio Premier. Played his university football at Cornell (60/20).

Matt Crooks, 30

England

Notable Clubs: Huddersfield Town (1/0), Rangers FC (2/0), Rotherham United (89/18), Middlesbrough (102/20), Real Salt Lake (10/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.5M

Notes: Developed by Manchester United and Huddersfield Town.

FORWARD

Diego Luna, 20

United States (1/0)

Notable Clubs: Real Salt Lake (46/6)

Estimated Transfer Value: €4.5M

Notes: Developed by Palo Alto SC, San Jose Earthquakes, and Barcelona Residency Academy. Has represented United States at youth levels (22/5). Won CONCACAF U20 Championship with United States.

Cristian Arango, 29

Colombia (2/0)

Notable Clubs: Envigado (71/7), Millonarios (65/24), Aves (19/1), Tondela (16/1), Los Angeles FC (51/30), Pachuca (11/5), Real Salt Lake (23/17)

Estimated Transfer Value: €5.5M

Notes: Developed by Envigado. Won Taca de Portugal with Aves. Named MLS Newcomer of the Year 2021. Won an MLS Cup and League double with LAFC in 2022.

Carlos Gomez, 21

Colombia (2/1)

Notable Clubs: Millonarios (49/9), Real Salt Lake (41/5)

Estimated Transfer Value: €3.5M

Notes: Full name: Carlos Andres Gomez Hinestroza. Developed by Millonarios. Won a Copa Colombia with Millonarios.

Familiar Faces

Salt Lake forward, Ilijah Paul, played for Crossfire Redmond (f/k/a Washington Crossfire) (6/3). Played his university football for Washington (39/11) and San Francisco (1/0).

Squads

Salt Lake from:

MacMath, Tomas Gomez, Beavers, Glad, Katranis, Oviedo, Quinton, Tommy Silva, Brody, Caliskan, Chang, Crooks, Eneli, Carlos Gomez, Hidalgo, Julio, Luna, Ojeda, Palacio, Vera, Arango, Barajas, Matthew Bell, Jacquesson, Paul.

Sounders FC from:

Frei, Thomas, Baker, Bell, Gomez Andrade, Hawkins, Ragen, Alex, Baker-Whiting, Joao Paulo, Kitahara, Kossa-Rienzi, Leyva, Rusnak, Vargas, Leo Chu, Morris, Cristian, Minoungou, Musovski, Rothrock, Ruidiaz, Teves.

Injury List

Salt Lake -

OUT: Bonilla (knee), Gozo (concussion), Holt (hamstring), Ruiz (knee), Marcelo Silva (hamstring).

MATCHDAY DECISION: Hidalgo (hamstring), Katranis (adductor), Oviedo (calf).

Sounders FC -

OUT: Nathan (quad), Rodrigues (hamstring), Atencio (hamstring), de la Vega (hamstring).

MATCHDAY DECISION: Gomez Andrade (quadriceps), de la Vega (hamstring), Ruidiaz (foot), Vargas (calf).

Discipline

(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)

Salt Lake: No players suspended. Katranis and Arango out next match if booked.

Sounders FC: Nouhou is suspended this match for accumulated bookings.

Fun Fact

Although Sounders FC Reserves weren’t able to manage a result at Portland, it’s try try again as they will line up against Minnesota United FC Reserves on Sunday 19 May at the National Sports Center Stadium. Good luck, lads.