Needing a win to guarantee a playoff spot, Seattle Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid is leaving virtually nothing to chance. The starting lineup he selected for Sunday's regular-season finale against Real Salt Lake might not be the absolutely best lineup the Sounders can field -- Nelson Haedo Valdez is on the bench -- but it is quite clearly their most creative one.
Lineup time: your @SoundersFC XI for #DecisionDay: Frei Mears Evans Marshall Gonzalez Pappa Alonso Friberg Ivanschitz Dempsey Martins
— Sounders Matchday (@LIVESounders) October 25, 2015
Valdez leads a bench with a good deal of firepower if that's what is needed.
And your @SoundersFC subs today: Perkins, Scott, Fisher, Rose, Pineda, Valdez, Barrett
— Sounders Matchday (@LIVESounders) October 25, 2015
This biggest surprise for RSL is that Nick Rimando won't be in goal.
RSL's last starting XI of 2015 in Seattle: Attinella; Beltran, Maund, Olave, Mansally; Stertzer, Gil, Morales; Martinez, Sandoval, Allen.
— Chris Kamrani (@chriskamrani) October 25, 2015