The Seattle Sounders will have a bit of an early kickoff when they travel to play Sporting KC on Saturday at 11:30 AM Seattle time. Sporting KC is currently on a six-game losing streak, which includes a 3–0 loss to Colorado Springs Switchbacks in the U.S. Open Cup. The Sounders haven’t lost a league game since Feb. 28 and are off to a franchise-record tying 6–1–1 start in league play.

Here’s what you need to know:

Injury news

Sounders

OUT: Yeimar Gomez Andrade — Hamstring; Pedro de la Vega — Knee; Nikola Petković Knee

QUESTIONABLE: Kim Kee-hee — Calf; Ryan Sailor — Knee

Kansas City

OUT: Kwaku Agyabeng — Groin; Diego Borges — Groin; Justin Reynolds — Hamstring

QUESTIONABLE: Zorhan Bassong — Hamstring

Opposition players to watch

Dejan Joveljić: The striker is easily Sporting's most competent and dangerous attacker. A year ago, he scored 18 goals for a very bad team. This year, he has 4 of KC's 7 goals. While he’s not exactly a one-man wrecking crew, he must be accounted for.

Manu Garcia: To the degree that KC has creative players, the 28-year-old Spaniard is the main force. A year ago, he had two goals and seven assists, the only player on the team with more than four assists. He gave the Sounders some problems last year, too.

Stats to look smart

403 – The Sounders last gave up a road goal in league play on Feb. 28 and have now gone 403 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal on the road.

5.5 – Sporting KC is last in the league with just seven goals scored, but they are actually over-performing their xG which suggests they should only have 5.5 (which is also worst in the league).

Tactics to impress

The Sounders seem to have reconsidered some of their more aggressive pressing tactics and have been far more targeted in how they apply pressure. They may reconsider that against Sporting KC, a team that has struggled to put opponents under any sort of sustained pressure.
Identifying a coherent plan in Sporting KC's style is a little hard to ascertain, but they do seem to want to build through the flanks and hit long switches. If the Sounders can cut those out, they could find some joy on the counter.