At least in terms of results, Seattle Sounders 2’s move to Tacoma and Cheney Stadium got off to a shaky start. They won their opener against T2, but after that struggled to put their stamp on their new home field. That is now in the past though, as S2 have been exciting, if not close to dominant, at Cheney Stadium over the past 2 months. In fact, tonight they have a chance to set a franchise record by going 6 straight matches unbeaten at home. They have twice before gone 5 unbeaten at home, both times at Starfire, once in 2016, as well as during their first 5 ever home matches in 2015. If they win or draw tonight another part of S2 history will move south from Tukwila to Tacoma.

To achieve this milestone S2 will need to go through Phoenix Rising, who have one of the USL’s most dynamic offenses. They routinely score 3+ goals, have two players with more goals than any S2 player and 3 with more assists than any S2 players. Solomon Asante is a member of both those groups so it will be key for S2 to keep him off of the ball. If S2 had a healthy true defensive midfielder on the roster it would be wise to man mark Asante out of the game. As it is, Coach Hutchinson’s best option may be to send out the 3 centerback formation that has been successful for S2 over the last 10 weeks. Again, it is unclear if S2 have enough healthy CBs for that formation, but whether S2 send out a 3 or 4 back, which team wins will likely be decided by who gets their fullbacks/wingbacks most involved in the attack.

nos audietis in somniis | nos audietis in altum

you will hear us in your sleep | you will hear us from the deep

this is our Sound

Keys to the Game

• Track runners
• Be ever aware of the Phoenix counter
• Win the positioning battle on the wings

Lineups

How to Watch

Match date/time: 7:00 PM PT, Saturday, September 15, 2018

Venue: Cheney Stadium, Central Tacoma, Puyallup-White River Watershed, Cascadia.

Streaming: ESPN+ (Talent: Andrew Harvey, Dave Clark and James Riley)

How I'm watching

Outfit: Outfit for more winning.

Where: The Fortress, the unbeatable, the venerated: Cheney Stadium.