The Seattle Sounders are back on the road for the second of five-straight away from Lumen Field. This time they visit St. Louis City’s Energizer Stadium, someplace they’ve enjoyed some success in the past.

Here’s what you need to know:

Injury news

Sounders

OUT: Pedro de la Vega - Knee; Stuart Hawkins - Quad; Kim Kee-hee - Calf; Jordan Morris - Quad; Ryan Sailor - Knee

QUESTIONABLE: Georgi Minougou - Foot; Paul Rothrock - Foot

St. Louis City

OUT: Fallou Fall - Ankle; Eduard Löwen - Not Due to Injury; Tomáš Ostrák - Lower Leg; Tyson Pearce - Hip; Tomas Totland - Abdomen

Opposition players to watch

Roman Bürki — The 35-year-old goalkeeper remains one of the elite players at his position in this league and always gives his squad a chance. Bürki has looked excellent in the first two games of the year and will surely force the Sounders to earn anything they get.

Marcel Hartel — The German Designated Player hasn’t quite lived up to expectations but he does give St. Louis some quality in the midfield. A year ago, he had nine goals and he is perhaps the St. Louis’ one player who can win a game through pure creativity.

Stats to look smart

5 — St. Louis City is winless in their last five home matches dating back to last year. In fact, they were tied for the fewest home wins in the Western Conference last year (4) and had a -5 goal-difference.

17 — Although their five road wins put them solidly mid-table last year, no Western Conference team could match the Sounders’ 17-point gap between home points (36) and road points (19). League-wide, only Charlotte FC (21) had a larger gap.

Tactics to impress

Frenchman Yoann Damet has brought in a new philosophy that encourages more dynamic play all of the field. That means looking for quick transitions on offense and immediate repressing after turnovers. That doesn’t necessarily mean St. Louis will try to sustain high pressure, though, as they’ll quickly drop their lines if the initial pressure doesn’t work.
It’s obviously still quite early, but the Sounders seem to have tweaked their defensive approach some this year. Although their lines of confrontation have been moved higher, the defensive activity seems to have been dialed back