Sounders will play split-squad game against USL’s Reno 1868

In an apparent quest to get as many players as many minutes as possible, the Seattle Sounders will be playing a second match during their trip to Northern California. Several hours before presumed first team faces off against Sacramento Republic, another group of players will play a closed-door scrimmage against USL-side Reno 1868 FC at UC Davis. That game is slated to kick off at 12:30 p.m., but will not be live-streamed. The match against Sacramento will be live streamed and kicks off at 7:30 p.m.

Reno was one of the top teams in the USL during their inaugural season, scoring a league-high 75 goals and a league-best +36 goal difference.

This is the third time the Sounders will have played a sort of split-squad game during this preseason. In previous games, they used it as a way to get starters minutes for twice as many players and get extended looks at different formations.

The group that starts against Sacramento Republic will likely look very similar to the one that will face Santa Tecla the following Thursday. The group that faces Reno will likely be made up of the team’s top reserves.