{"id":1276,"date":"2016-10-14T09:00:36","date_gmt":"2016-10-14T13:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsoccer.com\/?p=1276"},"modified":"2016-10-14T23:43:16","modified_gmt":"2016-10-15T03:43:16","slug":"fc-dallas-v-seattle-sounders-dallas-chases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2016\/10\/14\/fc-dallas-v-seattle-sounders-dallas-chases\/","title":{"rendered":"FC Dallas-Seattle Sounders: Dallas Chases the Shield, Seattle Looks to Clinch"},"content":{"rendered":"

FC Dallas v Seattle Sounders FC
\nSunday, October 16th
\nToyota Stadium | Frisco, Texas
\n5pm Eastern<\/strong><\/p>\n

This Sunday FC Dallas<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0begins an eight day stretch over which\u00a0they will attempt\u00a0to lay claim to Major League Soccer’s\u00a0Supporters’ Shield. The first hurdle in the pursuit of that trophy\u00a0is a weekend matchup against the Seattle Sounders<\/strong><\/a> at Toyota Stadium<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

FC Dallas lost their grip on first place in the Western Conference Thursday night when the Colorado Rapids<\/strong>\u00a0leap-frogged\u00a0them by beating the\u00a0San Jose Earthquakes<\/strong>\u00a02-1. The Texas club\u00a0is searching for\u00a0wins in the\u00a0final two matches of their season. They need maximum points to\u00a0give themselves the best chance possible to pick up a\u00a0second major trophy this\u00a0season. The US Open Cup winners\u00a0enter the match in luke-warm form\u00a0tallying two wins, two draws, and a loss in their last five matches. FC Dallas\u00a0is healthy and well-rested, not having played a competitive match since October 1st.<\/p>\n

The Seattle Sounders are one of the hottest teams in MLS having won four\u00a0of their\u00a0last five matches and possess\u00a0the\u00a0best\u00a0record in MLS\u00a0since late July when Brian Schmetzer<\/strong> took over as interim manager.\u00a0The Sounders\u00a0missed their chance to clinch\u00a0a playoff berth Wednesday night when they drew 0-0 with\u00a0Houston Dynamo<\/strong> at CenturyLink Field. Seattle’s\u00a0Ozzie Alonso was sent off for violent conduct in that match, reducing the Sounders to ten men. The ejection means he’ll\u00a0miss Sunday’s match against Dallas. Fourth\u00a0place Seattle are facing somewhat of an injury crisis. They will be without Andreas Ivanschitz (knee sprain) Sunday and Alvaro Fernandez’s return is uncertain. Talisman Clint Dempsey’s season was ended early by a\u00a0heart condition for which he is still seeking treatment.<\/p>\n

Who to Watch<\/h2>\n

There will\u00a0still be plenty of talent on display\u00a0in this late season matchup. FC Dallas midfielder\u00a0Mauro Diaz<\/strong> is the linchpin\u00a0of the\u00a0team’s\u00a0offense\u00a0and has best-in-class technical ability by MLS standards. The Argentine maestro has five goals and 12 assists on the season, and will pull the strings for\u00a0the Dallas attack.\u00a0Max Urruti<\/strong> is the lead striker in Dallas’ 4-2-3-1 formation and will work tirelessly up front, pester defenders, and get on the end of service from Dallas’ talented ball-playing midfield.\u00a0The Sounders will counter with US international striker and Seattle homegrown talent\u00a0Jordan\u00a0Morris<\/strong>. Morris leads the Sounders with\u00a012 goals on the season and will look to benefit from\u00a0creative play\u00a0from Uruguayan Nicol\u00e1s Lodeiro<\/strong> in midfield.<\/p>\n

What to Expect<\/h2>\n

Dallas’ success this season has been built on a\u00a0balanced team, a possession-based passing game, and timely goals. At Toyota Stadium they have only conceded more than one goal on two occasions\u00a0this season. Expect them to keep things tight in the back and counter with a crisp\u00a0passing game and opportunistic finishing. The Sounders will try to ride their good form past Dallas and\u00a0into the playoffs, but will struggle to do\u00a0so with several key players missing. They’ve adapted surprisingly well to a Dempsey-less roster.\u00a0Lodeiro is now firmly in the number ten role. Seattle will\u00a0try incorporate width into their attack\u00a0and\u00a0find Jordan Morris for the finishing touch, but may struggle to do so with key wide-men missing.<\/p>\n

Playoff Stakes<\/h2>\n

The playoff stakes are high indeed for both teams heading\u00a0into this contest. FC Dallas still has\u00a0a bona fide\u00a0chance to land the Supporter’s Shield if they can win out. They will need some help from leaders Colorado who now sit one\u00a0point higher than Dallas with both teams having played 32 games. The Texas club\u00a0will also face much stronger opposition than the Rapids. Dallas’\u00a0final match of the season sees them travel to\u00a0Los Angeles to face the Galaxy on October 23rd. To complicate matters further, they also have a pivotal CONCACAF Champions League match in Guatemala sandwiched in between their last two matches.\u00a0Colorado’s schedule has a much easier look to it, as they travel to seventh place Portland before finishing the season at last place Houston.<\/p>\n

This Seattle Sounders team has been the comeback story of the season. They\u00a0need a\u00a0win in this contest to clinch a playoff berth for the eighth consecutive season. In fact, a win in either of their last two games will be enough for them to make it to the postseason. They missed a great chance to book their ticket on Wednesday. If they can’t top Dallas Sunday, they’ll return home and try to get the job done against\u00a0Real Salt Lake on the last day\u00a0of the regular season.<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n