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Whenever the Seattle Sounders and Atlanta United meet, it’s a chance for arguably the two biggest clubs in MLS to measure up one another. Right now, the Sounders are on the ascent while Atlanta is trying to recover from a disastrous 2020 in which they fired their coach after just five games and finished outside the playoffs for the first time in their history.
Atlanta United is off to a somewhat promising, if still uneven, start. They’re 2-1-2 and in the thick of the playoff race, coming off an emotional win last week in which they found the game winner in the dying moments to send a crowd of 40,000 into delirium. That may be covering for what has otherwise been an inauspicious start to the Gabriel Heinze era, in which they’ve dominated possession but struggled to score.
The Sounders, meanwhile, have been by far the league’s best team to date, with a league-best 16 points and +11 goal-difference. They’ll again be without a couple of their stars, but that’s been the norm so far this year.
Notes
- Seattle has a win and two draws in three all-time meetings with Atlanta United. The Sounders are one of two teams Atlanta has played but never defeated in MLS (D3 L2 vs. Inter Miami).
- The Sounders are the ninth team in the post-shootout era (since 2000) to open a season with at least 16 points in their first six games. Seattle is the one of two teams to do so more than once after getting off to the same start in 2019 as they went on to win MLS Cup (the other is Sporting Kansas City: 18 points in 2012 and 16 points in 2000).
- Atlanta United has recorded just one win in its last 12 away matches (0-7-4) dating back to the resumption of the 2020 regular season in August. Meanwhile, the Sounders are on a seven-game home winning streak and a 12-game home unbeaten run (11-0-1) in MLS play dating back to last year. The Sounders are 18-1-2 at home against MLS opponents since Aug. 4, 2019.
Liveblog
Absences: Injury, international duty and suspension
Seattle:
QUESTIONABLE: Atencio (R hamstring strain)
OUT: Nicolas Lodeiro (R knee pain), Stefan Frei (L knee sprain), Jordy Delem (R ACL), Jordan Morris (L ACL)
Atlanta:
QUESTIONABLE: Mo Adams (sports hernia), Alec Kann (shoulder)
OUT: Machop Chol (lower body), Ezequiel Barco (lower body), Jürgen Damm (lower body); Alan Franco (lower body)
Officials
Referee: Kevin Stott; AR1: Mike Rottersman; AR2: Chris Elliott; Fourth official: Ramy Touchan; VAR: Younes Marrakchi; Ast. VAR: Fabio Tovar.
How to Watch
Match date/kickoff time: Sunday, May 23, 1:55 PM PT
Venue: Lumen Field, Seattle
Online Streaming: Fubo TV (affiliate link), Locast.org (Seattle-area only)
National English TV: Fox (John Strong, Stu Holden)
Local Radio: 950 KJR-AM Seattle (Costigan, Keller, Zakuani)
Local Spanish Radio: El Rey 1360 AM (Rodriguez, Maqueda, Tapia)
National Spanish TV: Fox Deportes
International TV:
Balkans: Arena Sport
Brazil: DAZN
Bulgaria: MAX Sport
Cypress: Cytavision
Czech Republic & Slovakia: Nova Sport
Georgia: Silk Sport
Germany: Sportdigital
Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy & Spain: DAZN
Greece: Nova Sports India: Discovery Eurosport
Israel: Charlton
Latin America (excl. Brazil): ESPN Latin America
Netherlands: ESPN Netherlands
Norway: Strive
Poland: Polstat
Southeast Asia & Oceania: beIN Sports
Sub-Saharan Africa: ESPN Africa
Taiwan: Sportcast
United Kingdom & Ireland: Sky Sports
Lineups
Same lineup. Same mission.
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) May 23, 2021
Today's @Delta Starting XI!
https://t.co/D0jloJzc22 | #SEAvATL pic.twitter.com/DrXocaS56z
#ATLUTD Starting XI vs @SoundersFC pic.twitter.com/St5TqIRYIP
— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) May 23, 2021
Highlights will be posted as the match progresses.
This is Seattle Sounders vs. Atlanta United; watch with us
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