The Seattle Sounders have a chance to jump into third place in the Western Conference if they can beat Minnesota tonight at 5:30 PM. The Loons won the previous meeting, handing the Sounders their only loss at home to a North American opponent.

Here’s what you need to know:

Injury news

Seattle Sounders FC

OUT: Paul Arriola - Knee; Stuart Hawkins - Quad; Ryan Kent - Hamstring; Jordan Morris - Shoulder; João Paulo - Knee; Albert Rusnák - Hamstring

Minnesota United FC

OUT: Loïc Mesanvi - Hip

Opposition players to watch

Joaquin Pererya: The midfielder is the creative engine that runs Minnesota United. As he showed against the Sounders in their first meeting, he can withstand some physical play as well. With more than twice as many chances created as anyone else on the team, there's a good chance that shutting him down shuts down the offense.

Tani Oluwaseyi: There might not be a more dynamic player in the open field than the Canadian. In his first full season as a starter, Oluwaseyi has 10 goals and eight assists and is probably the main reason Minnesota's unorthodox style works. The Sounders simply can't afford to let him run at defenders.

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Stats to look smart

5: It's not just that Minnesota score a bunch of goals off of set-pieces, it's the specific kind of set-pieces they excel at. Of their 10 goals from set-pieces, five of them are off of throw-ins, which is easily the most in the league and a genuine offensive weapon.

8: Traditionally, the Sounders have been very good on defensive set-pieces, but this year they've allowed eight of them which puts them in the lower-third of the league. But good news: They've only allowed one set-piece goal since they returned from Club World Cup.

Tactics to impress

By now, we know the drill: Minnesota United want to play against the ball, beat opponents in transition and then snag a goal off a set-piece. But they seem to have been a bit less dogmatic about that in recent matches. They've actually won the possession battle in five of their past eight games across all competitions, but also lost three of those games which suggests maybe opponents have started to figure out "that one neat trick."
While Brian Schmetzer always likes to have the ball, he's willing to cede possession if that's what makes sense. Against the Galaxy, for instance, the Sounders had just 46% of possession but didn't let that stop them from scoring. The Sounders might want to flip the table after having 65% of possession in the first meeting between these teams.