FINAL: Thanks to goals from Cristian Roldan, Gustav Svensson and Harry Shipp, the Seattle Sounders won their third straight and improved to 4-0-2 in their last six. The 3-1 win over New York City FC was also their first win this year over a team in playoff position.

SOUNDERS 3, NYCFC 1: Just as the match was starting to look a bit dicey, Harry Shipp stepped up and restored the two-goal advantage. Shipp found himself open in the box and blasted his shot from about 12 yards out, giving the Sounders a 3-1 lead late in the match.

SOUNDERS 2, NYCFC 1: Some sloppy play out of the back has allowed NYCFC to cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 67th minute. The sequence started with Osvaldo Alonso making an ill-advised back pass to Chad Marshall, who turned it over under pressure. That got NYCFC’s counter going deep in the Sounders’ end and resulted in Jesus Medina finishing off a Jo Inge Berget pass. That ended a 290-minute shutout streak for the Sounders, their longest of the season.

SOUNDERS 2, NYCFC 0: Gustav Svensson may not be known for his scoring prowess, but when he strikes, he makes sure it’s memorable. Svensson was able to line up a shot from about 30 yards out and blasted it through traffic and past Sean Johnson to give the Sounders a 2-0 lead.

HALFTIME: It wasn’t exactly a clinical showing, but the Sounders still managed to head into halftime leading 1-0 on Cristian Roldan’s second goal of the season. NYCFC dominated large portions of the second half — at least in terms of possession — but a 30th minute water break seemed to awaken the Sounders.

Shortly after Roldan scored his goal — in the 36th minute — and the Sounders were able to go into halftime winning the possession battle over the final 10 minutes and had closed the shots gap to 8-6.

SOUNDERS 1, NYCFC 0: There’s something about playing NYCFC that seems to awaken Cristian Roldan’s attacking instincts. The Sounders midfielder scored his second goal of the season, pouncing on a deflected cross and beat Sean Johnson to give the Sounders a 1-0 lead late in the first half. Roldan also scored against NYCFC last year.

Up to that point, NYCFC had been arguably the better team. Their best chance came on a Maxi Moralez free kick from about 20 yards out that hit the crossbar.

LINEUPS: Chad Marshall and Kelvin Leerdam return to the Sounders’ starting lineup after getting the day off midweek. The only other change from the previous match is more of a tweak, as Nicolas Lodeiro moves to central midfield and swaps places with Cristian Roldan. That’s the same roles they played in the second half against the San Jose Earthquakes.

Otherwise, the most notable thing about the lineup is probably Osvaldo Alonso getting a second start in four days. Head coach Brian Schmetzer seems to have settled on bringing Clint Dempsey off the bench, at least for now, as this is now the sixth straight match he’s not started. Dempsey has been healthy enough to suit up for five of those matches and the Sounders have gone 3-0-2 overall in that time.

If you are at the game, make certain to protect yourself from the sun and drink plenty of water (non-caffeinated, non-alcoholic drinks are also decent). This will be one of the hottest games of the year for the Seattle Sounders. It is likely that the two teams take a hydration break. If they do, you should too.

New York City FC come to Seattle on short rest, but on a strong streak. They’ve won their last four and have a defense on par with the Sounders. The Pigeons have a great attack as well, and haven’t suffered much by switching coaches in midseason. They’re competing for the Supporters’ Shield along with, Red Bull New York, and Atlanta United. The Sounders are just trying to get within striking distance of the red line.

Absences: Injury, international duty and suspension

Seattle: Jordan Morris (torn ACL) and Handwalla Bwana (right midfoot sprain) remain out. Victor Rodríguez (right hamstring strain), Nicolas Lodeiro (right knee pain) and Chad Marshall (right quad contusion) are listed as questionable.

Pigeons: Alex Ring is suspended. Yangel Herrera (ankle), Cedric Hountondji (hamstring) and David Villa (knee) are out. No players are questionable.

Jordy Delem, Nouhou, Yangel Herrera, and Thomas McNamara are a single yellow card away from accumulation suspension. Osvaldo Alonso, Cristian Roldan, and Jordan McCrary are two cards from the same.

Jair Marrufo is the center referee. His video assistant is Jorge Gonzalez.

nos audietis in somniis | nos audietis in alto

you will hear us in your sleep | you will hear us from the deep

this is our Sound

Keys to the Game:

• Hydrate
• Strike Early
• Counter quickly
• Remain stout

How I'm watching

Outfit: Hay Fe

Scarf: No, too hot

Where: Section 214

North America will hear us

• $1

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How to Watch

Match date/time: July 29, 2:00 PM

Venue: CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington, Heart of Cascadia

Online Streaming: YouTube TV (Seattle & Spokane markets), Watch ESPN

National TV: ESPN (Yardley, Keller)

Local English Radio: 950 KJR-AM Seattle (Johnson, Zakuani)

Local Spanish Radio: El Rey 1360 AM (Rodriguez, Maqueda, Tapia)

International TV

Asia: BeIN Sports (ASIA) | Australia: BeIN Sports (AUS) | Europe: Eurosport | Middle East & North Africa: Abu Dhabi Sports | Sub-Saharan Africa: FOX Africa | United Kingdom: Sky Sports

Lineups

Highlights will be posted as the match progresses.

This is Seattle Sounders vs the Pigeons of NYCFC; watch with us