As much as they might try to avoid big-picture narratives, that this is an MLS Cup rematch — and a chance to get a measure of revenge — will surely be on the Seattle Sounders’ mind as they prepare to face the suddenly slumping Columbus Crew at Lower.com Field.

That MLS Cup win has probably never felt farther away for the Crew than it looks right now. The Crew are currently mired in a five-game losing streak, which is tied for the longest in franchise history during the post-shootout era. The Crew’s offense has been especially disappointing, scoring just 6 goals in their past 7 games, and now they’re going to be missing Gyasi Zardes for at least a few games.

The Sounders, meanwhile, seem to have recovered fully from their brief dip in form that saw them go 1-3-1. The Sounders have now won three straight in all competitions, including two straight on the road. A win in this one would complete a nine-point road trip spread out over only seven days.

Despite the congested schedule, the Sounders should be able to put out a reasonably well-rested lineup as they made seven changes from Sunday’s game to Wednesday’s. The Crew, however, used a mostly first-choice lineup in their midweek game against the New York Red Bulls, with the notable exception of Lucas Zelarayan, who came off the bench.

Liveblog

Notes

• Columbus lost its fifth consecutive match, falling 1-0 to the Red Bulls on Wednesday. The Crew are the first defending MLS champion to lose five straight matches since the Galaxy dropped seven in a row in May-June 2006.
• The Sounders have already won six road games this year, as many as they’ve had in all but three of their previous seasons. They’re also riding their second three-game away winning streak of the season.
• After failing to score just once in 2020, the Crew have gone scoreless in consecutive games for the fourth time this year. Only three teams have scored fewer goals than their 21.
• Raúl Ruidíaz leads MLS with 14 goals. With his next goal, he’ll become just the third player in Sounders history to score at least 15. The franchise record is 17, held by Obafemi Martins (2014), and no Sounder has ever won the MLS Golden Boot.
• Their most recent loss to the Crew aside, the Sounders have actually enjoyed a bit of success in Columbus, where they have an all-time record of 4-3-1. In fact, that’s tied for the most away wins the Sounders have against any Eastern Conference opponent.
• This is the Sounders’ first-ever visit to Lower.com Field. The Sounders are 7-2-3 all-time in first-year MLS stadiums, including a win over Austin FC this year.

Absences: Injury, international duty and suspension

Seattle

QUESTIONABLE: Nouhou - L adductor strain

OUT: Delem - R ACL tear; Frei - L knee sprain / blood clot; Morris - L ACL tear

Columbus

QUESTIONABLE: Luis Diaz - R Shoulder Injury

OUT: Artur - R Hip Injury; Marlon Hairston - L Thigh Injury; Perry Kitchen - L Knee Injury; Aidan Morris - L Knee Injury; Milton Valenzuela - R Thigh Injury; Josh Williams - L Ankle Injury; Gyasi Zardes - L Thigh Injury

Officials

REFEREE: Joseph Dickerson; AR1 (bench): Peter Balciunas; AR2 (opposite): Andrew Bigelow; 4th: Baldomero Toledo; VAR: Sorin Stoica; AVAR: Jonathan Johnson.

How to Watch

Match date/kickoff time: Saturday, 2:55 PM PT

Venue: Lower.com Field, Columbus, Ohio

Online Streaming: Fubo TV (affiliate link), Locast.org

National English TV: FOX (Strong, Holden)

Local Radio: 950 KJR-AM Seattle (Costigan, Keller)

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

National Spanish TV: Fox Deportes

International TV:

Balkans: Arena Sport

Belgium & Luxembourg: Eleven Sports

Bulgaria: Max Sport

China: CSM

Cyprus: Cytavision

Czech Republic & Slovakia: Nova Sport (Czech Republic)

Denmark: TV2

Germany: Sportdigital

Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy & Spain: DAZN (Europe)

Georgia: Silk Sport

Greece: Novasports (Greece)

Israel: Charlton

Latin America (excl. Brazil): ESPN Latin America

Netherlands: ESPN Netherlands

Poland: Polsat

Portugal: SportTV

Russia: Okko Sport

Southeast Asia & Oceania: beIN SPORTS

Sub-Saharan Africa: ESPN Africa

Sweden: C More

Taiwan: Sportcast

Turkey & Azerbaijan: Saran Sport

UK & Ireland: Sky Sports

Lineups

Highlights will be posted as the match progresses.

This is Seattle Sounders at Columbus Crew; watch with us

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