If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That seems to be the philosophy of both Brian Schmetzer and Peter Vermes as the respective head coaches of the Seattle Sounders and Sporting Kansas City will be using starting lineups identical to the ones that got them wins on Decision Day.
The stage is set. Here's tonight's #Sounders Starting XI, thanks to @Delta!#SEAvSKC: https://t.co/7ybigW8s8P pic.twitter.com/mkrjH7j9dw
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) October 28, 2016
Your #SportingKC starting XI for today's @Audi 2016 #MLSCupPlayoffs Knockout Round match vs @SoundersFC. https://t.co/sSkhl4qryh pic.twitter.com/YvSief5YIW
— Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) October 28, 2016
The closest thing to a surprise for the Sounders is Brad Evans being on the bench instead of starting. One line of thinking may have been that Cristian Roldan looked very comfortable out wide against Real Salt Lake, helping set up the first goal and scoring the second. It’s also possible that Evans simply isn’t 100 percent as he’s not started in about two months, only coming off the bench twice in the Sounders’ last eight games of the regular season.