MINNESOTA UNITED FC v. SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC

Greetings to my brothers and sisters in Green. Sounders FC make the trip north from The Evergreen to the land of 10,000 lakes to play Minnesota United at their Simpson Street ground.

What: MLS league match, Minnesota United FC v. Seattle Sounders FC.

Where: Simpson Street, St. Paul, Minnesota.

When: 5:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, Saturday 16 August 2025 CE.

At Stake: Points in the league. Although Sounders can’t improve or worsen their position in the seeding for MLS Cup this match, They can tie Minnesota United on points in the league and conference tables. Sounders currently occupy the W4 slot for MLS Cup first round berths with 44 points, With Minnesota United in the W3 slot just three points clear. In the league table, Sounders are currently 11th place on 41 points. That’s really it, there’s nothing else to play for in the league, with Sounders 10 points adrift of leaders Philadelphia, with only nine matches left to play.

Where to Watch: MLS Season Pass via Apple TV and Fox Sports 1.

Where to Listen: KJR 99.3 FM and El Rey 1360 AM.

Wow. LA Galaxy had re-invented themselves in the Leagues Cup, often getting better results than we did against common opponents (Tijuana, and Santos Laguna) in the tournament. Galaxy had been eliminated in the Quarter-Final stage of the CONCACAF Champions Cup by Tigres UANL, and got absolutely savaged in the league with a record of 3-7-15 which currently sees them bottom of the MLS table on 16 points.

Despite the aforementioned re-invention, and all the expensive talent they signed, we absolutely battered them 0:4 in their own house.

Sounders are absolutely steamrolling the opposition of late and cannae seem to put a foot wrong. These are heady days brothers and sisters, and we’re strapped in for the ride.

If you can make your way to St. Paul, link up with ours and make an unruly racket at the ground. Look after each other and make sure you have your scarves tied proper. For those of us that remain in The Evergreen, it’s time to link up at pubs and dwellings for stories and tellings, houses and flats for pints and cats, and boats and ships for pie and chips. Yell so loud in your living room that the neighbours wonder what in God’s name has happened tae make ye bellow like that.

Can Sounders maintain their 10-match unbeaten streak in all competitions? Will the Loons under former Manchester United coach, Eric Ramsey, win the league double over us? Buckle up. It’s gonna be a cracker.

It’s Sounders football, under the early evening lights at Simpson Street. GO ON YOU SOUNDERS!!! GET IN!!!

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

Sounders FC’s newest signing, midfielder Snyder Brunell, 18, scored his first senior goal against

LA Galaxy on Sunday at Avalon Boulevard. Well done, Snyder! Hope it’s the first of many!

The Good News

Minnesota United are 2-1-2 over their last five matches, losing the last two at home, 0:2 to San Luis in Leagues Cup, and 1:2 to Colorado. Conversely: Sounders are unbeaten with a 4-1-0 record in their last five, out-scoring our opponents 15:4, including a 7:0 battering of CONCACAF Champions Cup holders, Cruz Azul. Sounders hold a decisive edge on current form.

Sounders are unbeaten in their last 10 matches in all competitions (7-3-0). It doesn’t get much better than that. We haven’t been defeated since 23 June when UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain barely squeaked out a 0:2 victory against our Boys in Green.

Our youngers: Baker-Whiting (20 years-old), Brunell (18), De Rosario (23), Kossa-Rienzi (23), Leyva (22), Vargas (20), and Minoungou (23) have performed admirably during our unbeaten run. They have become a big part of our successes with so many of our key players out to injury.

The Bad News

The margins in this one are extremely narrow. We are scoring goals at an average of 1.80 goals/match. That’s only two one-hundredths more than the Loons mark of 1.78 goals/match. In defence, we are conceding 1.43 goals/match, with Minnesota United permitting only 0.21 goals/match less (1.22 goals conceded/match).

Sounders have been mostly even on the road this season with a 5-4-6 away record in all competitions. Though there have been recent successes with wins at LA Galaxy and Kansas City, and a draw at Atlanta, our away form has only been corrected recently. Minnesota United are very good at home with a record in all competitions of 9-3-5 at Simpson Street.

The Loons’ main scoring threats are Minnesota United FC and Canada striker Tani Oluwaseyi (10 goals, 8 assists), Ghanian forward Kelvin Yeboah (9 goals, 2 assists), and Anthony Markanich (6 goals, 1 assist). Pereyra (9 assists), Lod, and Boxall (5 assists each) can hurt you with a killer pass. Our defence has its work cut out.

The Side I Would Select

It’s tricky. There’s really no ground to be gained or lost relative to MLS Cup seeding position. There’s also the Leagues Cup Semi-Final cup tie against Puebla coming up on 20 August. The temptation is to play a team of mostly youngers. This isn’t a radical position, as our youngers have played so well lately, and quite frankly have earned a run-out in the team. I believe that this selection can win.

GK     Thomas

LB     Baker-Whiting

LCH    Bell

RCH    Kim

RB     Kossa-Rienzi

LDM   Brunell

RDM   Cristian

LF     Rothrock

CAM   Leyva

RF     Minoungou

CF     De Rosario

The Side I Think The Gaffer Will Select

I’d expect the selection that won 0:4 in Los Angeles. And you’d have to respect that, given the result.

GK     Thomas

LB     Nouhou

LCH    Ragen

RCH    Gomez Andrade

RB     Alex

LDM    Cristian

RDM    Vargas

LF     de la Vega

CAM   Ferreira

RF     Rothrock

CF     Musovski

Intangibles

Officiating.

Malik Badawi will be the match Referee for Saturday night in St. Paul.

MIN record with Badawi as Ref: 1-1-0

SEA record with Badawi as Ref: 1-1-1

Eric Ramsey effect v. Sounders dominance.

Last time out, I predicted that Eric Ramsey would soundly out-manage Brian Schmetzer. The Loons won that match 2:3. Ramsey has the more prestigious resume (Swansea City, Shrewsbury Town, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Wales), and became the youngest coach to earn a UEFA Pro License. That said, Sounders have dominated Minnesota United in league play with an all-time record of 12-2-2. Sounders are 4-2-1 when playing the Loons at St. Paul. However, most of those matches were with Adrien Heath in charge (Burnley, Sheffield United, Coventry City, Austin Aztex, and Orlando City). It sets up an irresistible force versus immoveable object type of matchup. It’s gonna be a cracker.

Away days.

Although we have struggled away from home this season. Sounders have bucked that trend with the 0:4 dismantling of an LA Galaxy side that had returned to form at Avalon Boulevard on Sunday. We also won 2:3 at Kansas City (12 July) and conceded a late equaliser at Atlanta (26 July). Can we maintain that level of success in away matches?

We are being outspent.

Sounders FC 2025 transfer fees paid: €1.45M

Minnesota 2025 transfer fees paid: €4.95M

General notes on personnel

Minnesota United transfers IN:

Keller (FC Cincinnati) re-entry draft

Trapp - re-signed

Romero (Atletico Tucuman) €1.95M

Jung (Gwangju) €995,000

Gene (Amiens) €2M

Gressel (Inter Miami CF) free

Randell - reserves

Speel - reserves

Minnesota United transfers OUT:

Marques (Vasteras) €500,000

Bacharach (Rhode Island) free

Dodson (DC United) draft

Fragapane (Union Santa Fe) free

Irwin - released

Nyeman (Loudoun United) free

Valentine - retired

Weah (Atlanta United FC Reserves) free

Tapias (Guadalajara) €960,000

Bran (Alajuelense) (Burton Albion) loan

Pukki (HJK Helsinki) undisclosed

Bristow - released

Kmet (Gornik Zabrze) loan

Adebayo-Smith (Detroit City) loan

Jeong (St. Louis City SC) €1.37M

Padelford (St. Louis City SC) loan

Speel (Shelbourne) loan

Comparison against common opponents

LAFC 1:0 MIN

MIN 0:1 LAFC

SEA 5:2 LAFC

LAFC 4:0 SEA

(against LAFC: MIN 0-0-2 -2, SEA 1-0-1 -1) edge SEA

SJ 0:1 MIN

MIN 4:1 SJ

SJ 1:1 SEA

SEA 3:2 SJ

(against SJ: MIN 2-0-0 +4, SEA 1-1-0 +1) decisive edge MIN

SKC 3:3 MIN

SKC 2:3 SEA

(against SKC: MIN 0-1-0 0, SEA 1-0-0 +1) edge SEA

MIN 2:2 LAG

LAG 0:4 SEA

(against LAG: MIN 0-1-0 0, SEA 1-0-0 +4) decisive edge SEA

MIN 2:0 RSL

RSL 2:0 SEA

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

MIN 0:0 DAL

DAL 1:2 MIN

DAL 0:1 SEA

SEA 1:0 DAL

(against DAL: MIN 1-1-0 +1, SEA 2-0-0 +2) edge SEA

MIN 1:3 VAN

VAN 0:0 MIN

VAN 3:0 SEA

(against VAN: MIN 0-1-1 -2, SEA 0-0-1 -3) marginal edge MIN

ATX 0:3 MIN

MIN 1:1 ATX

SEA 2:0 ATX

(against ATX: MIN 1-1-0 +3, SEA 1-0-0 +2) marginal edge MIN

HOU 2:0 MIN

MIN 3:1 HOU

SEA 0:0 HOU

HOU 1:3 SEA

(against HOU: MIN 1-0-1 0, SEA 1-1-0 +2) edge SEA

MIN 3:0 STL

STL 1:2 MIN

MIN 3:2 STL USOC

STL 1:0 SEA

SEA 4:1 STL

(against STL: MIN 3-0-0 +5, SEA 1-0-1 +2) decisive edge MIN

MIN 2:4 SD

SD 3:0 SEA

SEA 1:0 SD

(against SD: MIN 0-0-1 -2, SEA 1-0-1 -2) edge SEA

POR 1:1 MIN

POR 1:1 SEA

(against POR: MIN 0-1-0 0, SEA 0-1-0 0) even

MIN 1:2 COL

COL 1:1 SEA

SEA 3:3 COL

(against COL: MIN 0-0-1 -1, SEA 0-2-0 0) edge SEA

Know Thine Enemy

Minnesota United as they lined up in their 1:2 defeat at the hands of Colorado on 10 August at Simpson Street.

GOALKEEPER

Dayne St. Clair, 28

Canada (15/0)

Notable Clubs: Minnesota United FC (127/0), San Antonio FC (5/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2.8M

Notes: Developed by North Scarborough FC, Pickering FC, Ajax SC, and Vaughan Azzuri. Played his university football for Maryland (43/0).

DEFENCE

Anthony Markanich, 25

United States

Notable Clubs: Colorado Rapids (13/0), St. Louis City SC (29/1), Minnesota United FC (25/6)

Estimated Transfer Value: €700,000

Notes: Developed by Chicago Fire and Olympiacos Chicago. Played his university football at Northern Illinois (67/17).

Nicolas Romero, 21

Argentina

Notable Clubs: Atletico Tucuman (77/2), Minnesota United FC (21/0)

Estimated Transfer Value: €2.8M

Notes: Full name: Fernando Nicolas Romero. Developed by Atletico Tucuman.

Michael Boxall, 36

New Zealand (54/1)

Notable Clubs: Auckland City (6/0), Vancouver Whitecaps (19/0), Wellington Phoenix (39/2), SuperSport United (53/4), Minnesota United FC (254/8)

Estimated Transfer Value: €150,000

Notes: Developed by Three Kings United and Mount Albert Grammar School. Played his university football for UC Santa Barbara (78/1). Won a New Zealand League title with Auckland City. Won two South African Cups with SuperSport United. Won an OFC Nations Cup with New Zealand.

Carlos Harvey, 25

Panama (19/1)

Notable Clubs: Tauro (1/0), Los Angeles Galaxy (10/0), Phoenix Rising (30/5), Minnesota United FC (40/1)

Estimated Transfer Value: €600,000

Notes: Presumably developed by Tauro. Won a Panamanian league title with Tauro.

Bongokuhle Hlongwane, 25

South Africa (19/4)

Notable Clubs: Maritzburg United (53/7), Minnesota United FC (117/24)

Estimated Transfer Value: €3.5M

Notes: Developed by Nxamalala Fast XI and Maritzburg United.

MIDFIELD

Joaquin Pereyra, 26

Argentina

Notable Clubs: Rosario Central (45/1), Famalicao (15/0), Atletico Tucuman (112/4), Minnesota United FC (32/2)

Estimated Transfer Value: €3.5M

Notes: Developed by Rosario Central. Won a Copa Argentina with Rosario Central.

Wil Trapp, 32

United States (20/0)

Notable Clubs: Columbus Crew SC (185/2), Inter Miami CF (21/0), Minnesota United FC (141/4)

Estimated Transfer Value: €800,000

Notes: Developed by Columbus Crew SC. Played his university football for Akron (45/1).

Robin Lod, 32

Finland (75/6)

Notable Clubs: HJK Helsinki (75/15), VPS Palloseura (11/2), Panathinaikos (75/12), Sporting Gijon (23/4), Minnesota United FC (150/32)

Estimated Transfer Value: €1.5M

Notes: Developed by SUMU and HJK Helsinki. Won three Veikkausliiga (Finland 1st tier) titles, a Finnish Cup, and a Finnish League Cup with HJK Helsinki. Named Veikkausliiga Best Player and Best Midfielder 2014.

Tani Oluwaseyi, 25

Canada (15/2)

Notable Clubs: Minnesota United FC (49/18), San Antonio FC (25/17)

Estimated Transfer Value: €5M

Notes: Developed by Erin Mills SC and GPS Academy. Played his university football at St. John’s (49/20).

FORWARD

Kelvin Yeboah, 25

Ghana

Notable Clubs: WSG Tirol (56/10), Sturm Graz (34/17), Genoa (28/1), Augsburg (13/1), Montpellier (13/0), Standard Liege (14/6), Minnesota United FC (34/16)

Estimated Transfer Value: €6M

Notes: Developed by West Ham United and Gozzano. Won an Austrian Second Division title with WSG Tirol.

Familiar Faces

Midfielder Hassani Dotson was developed by Crossfire Academy and Washington Premier. Hassani is a Seattle native.

Squads

Minnesota United from:

St. Clair, Smir, Romero, Keller, Markanich, Boxall, Duggan, Taylor, Diaz, Rosales, Lod, Trapp, Jung, Gressel, Pereyra, Gene, Dotson, Harvey, Yeboah, Oluwaseyi, Hlongwane, Randell.

Sounders FC from:

Frei, Thomas, Baker, Baker-Whiting, Bell, Gomez Andrade, Kim, Kossa-Rienzi, Nouhou, Ragen, Alex, Sousa, Brunell, Leyva, Cristian, Vargas, de la Vega, De Rosario, Ferreira, Minoungou, Musovski, Rothrock.

Injury List

(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)

Minnesota United -

OUT: Mesanvi (hip).

MATCHDAY DECISION: none.

Sounders FC -

OUT: Kent (hamstring), Rusnak (hamstring), Morris (shoulder), Joao Paulo (knee), Arriola (knee), Hawkins (quadriceps).

MATCHDAY DECISION: none.

Discipline

(as listed on mlssoccer.com at press time)

Minnesota United: No players suspended. Markanich and Oluwaseyi out next match if booked.

Sounders FC: No players suspended.

Fun Fact

Sounders FC Reserves played against Minnesota United FC 2 at the National Sports Centre on 15 August. The teams drew 1:1 with Sounders FC Reserves midfielder Omar Hassan, hitting a 52nd minute equaliser after having come on as a substitute in the 18th minute. In the team for the Reserves tonight (4-3-3):

Castro, Sousa, Lopez (Burney 67’), Yamada, Baker (Alvarez 46’), Carli (Robles 76’), Kingston, Tsukanome, Gomez, Dodzi (Hassan 18’), Khoury (Gaffney 76’).

Substitutes not used: Shour, Pedder.

Bookings: Dodzi.

Way to hang in there, lads. You’ll get ‘em next time.