Preview: Sounders begin MLS season with tough test against Nashville

MVP Runner up Joao Paulo is an anchor in the midfield

Seattle, WA – The Seattle Sounders will begin their MLS regular season, a campaign that they hope ends with a trophy, at home against Nashville SC. Nashville is not a team to look over, as head coach Gary Smith has a club that has been on the doorstep of an Eastern conference final in the last two seasons. Let’s take a glimpse into this opening weekend matchup. 

Last match recap

• Seattle: The Sounders took care of business in their last matchup, a round of 16 game against Motagua. Nico Lodeiro opened the scoring up right before the halftime whistle, opening everything up for Seattle. The Sounders saw several veterans break through to score, as well as some of their bench players finding the back of the net. It should be the first step in Seattle’s pursuit of the leagues cup.  
• Nashville: Nashville has only played a few preseason friendlies to this point, on February 8th a three to one victory over Charlotte and on February 15th a three to two loss to Cincinnati. There’s a lot of new happening for the club, including a new home kit and a new soccer specific stadium that opens on the first of May. Nashville has also moved over to the Western Conference.  

Getting Nico Lodeiro back at full strength would be huge

Where they stand heading in this matchup 

• Seattle: Since it’s the opener, we’ll look at last season 

• 17-9-8, 60 Points, 2nd in Western conference 

• Nashville: Same thing applies to Nashville, let’s look at last season 

• 12-18-4, 54 points, 3rd in Eastern Conference 

Players to watch on Nashville 

• Dax McCarty: McCarty is the veteran of the group, having 400 MLS appearances under his belt. While he may not put-up huge scoring numbers (No goals scored last season and only three assists logged), McCarty’s impact is noticeable outside of the stat sheet.  
• Walker Zimmerman: A force on the back line, Zimmerman has earned time with the American national team. Zimmerman’s defensive numbers include being part of ten clean sheets, recorded 41 interceptions, and won 91% of the duels he was involved in.  
• Hany Mukhtar: Mukhtar is a German born midfielder that is one of the clubs most creative players. Last season, he logged 16 goals, 12 assists, and added an 82.5% pass percentage. 

Obed Vargas played 90 minutes in the last two matches

Keys to a Sounders win 

• Run the game through Jordan Morris: In Seattle’s win over Motagua, Morris came out of the locker room ready to go. Immediately, the Mercer Island native made several quality runs up the sideline, getting a few crosses in that couldn’t find a quality shot. Morris would score later on, in the 56th minute. If everything goes to plan, Morris should return to his 2019-2020 form. 
• A strong performance from Albert Rusnak: With the knowledge that Raul Ruidiaz will be held out of this game as a “precautionary measure,” per Brian Schmetzer, Seattle will be down one of their many stars. Playing a tough defensive unit in Nashville, it isn’t guaranteed that the Sounders will continue their goal barrage from the Motagua win. This is a great opportunity for Rusnak to score his first goal as a Sounder.  
• Get another quality showing from Obed Vargas: Vargas has certainly caught the attention of the coaching staff. Head coach Brian Schmetzer had an amused grin on his face when asked about the young player pumping the crowd up, saying it gave the sideline a sense of pride. The homegrown player has played all 90 minutes of both legs of the round of 16 matchup, and gained recognition from the veterans. A third quality performance can help pick up any offensive slack lost with Raul Ruidiaz being held out.  

Jordan Morris could return to his 2019-2020 form

Credit to Melissa Levin, Maddy Grassy, and Emma Ottosen!