After winning Leagues Cup on August 25th, the Columbus Crew quickly added two league wins to its tally by beating Philadelphia on the road and New York City at home. Now, the Crew get ready to host Western Conference foes in the Seattle Sounders on Saturday. The Crew are going to be without a plethora of players due to international duty. Regardless, the Black & Gold need to find a way to win to stay in the hunt for the Supporters Shield

Seattle Sounders at a Glance:

Record: 11-7-9, 40 points

Form: L-L-W-L-W

Leading Scorer: Jordan Morris (10)

Assist Leader: Albert Rusnak (10)

Player to Watch: Jordan Morris

Morris is Seattle’s leading scorer and will be their main attacking threat on Saturday. After bursting into the scene with the USMNT under Jurgen Klinsman, Morris has been a mainstay for the Sounders in his time as a pro. Despite some significant injury struggles, Morris continues to produce at a high level for the Sounders. Morris’ biggest threat is his pace and ability to get in behind opposing back lines. However as his career has gone on, Morris has been able to fine-tune his game to allow him more ways to hurt the opposition. The Crew backline will need to do a good job of keeping tabs on Morris Saturday night.

How Seattle Sounders play: 

Sounders Head Coach Brian Schmetzer is in year nine at the helm in the Pacific Northwest. Schmetzer had led the way by creating stability on and off the field which has led to numerous trophies across all competitions including MLS Cup and the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Despite being in the midst of a rebuilding season, Schmetzer has Seattle safely in the playoff picture in the West and looking for more. 

Schmetzer rotates between a 4-2-3-1 formation and a 4-4-2 formation based on his personnel. When in possession, Seattle mainly operates by creating width with their outside backs and using their wingers to create overloads centrally. Essentially it is a super narrow version of either a 4-4-2 or a 4-2-3-1. This allows them to threaten both centrally and outside while creating gaps for their players to attack. Seattle prefers to have the ball and keep possession but is not nearly as dogmatic as the Crew in this phase. Don’t be surprised if they play the ball in behind early and often on Saturday. 

Defensively, Seattle typically defend in a 4-4-2 shape looking to block off central areas and force the ball wide.

They also look to press high up the field out of this shape and force turnovers. In fact, Seattle’s passes per Defensive Action (PPDA) is 11th best in the league, one spot ahead of Columbus. I wouldn’t be surprised if Seattle drop a little deeper on Saturday though due to their unfamiliarity with pressing Columbus and how the Crew are able to easily cut through pressure. This will be something to keep an eye on throughout the game Saturday. 

How the Crew can win:

If the Crew want to stay in the Supporters Shield race, they have to find a way to win this match. Despite missing many starters due to International Duty, the Crew still have plenty of depth and talent to compete and win this match. The three keys below are going to be important on Saturday. 

1. Next Man Up: The Crew has enough talent and depth to fill two teams in this league. Thus there is no room for excuses in this match. Look for the players starting tonight to give a determined performance giving them a win tonight and a chance at more minutes down the line. 
2. Rest Defense and Defending in Transition: It appears Seattle will be happy to play in transition early on, not least because the Crew’s playing style is susceptible to good transition play and the Sounders have players who can threaten in transition. Look for the Crew to quickly apply pressure once they lose it. Also look for the Crew to lose the ball in “good areas” where it’s incredibly difficult for their opponents to launch counterattacks from. 
3. Dominate Possession: As mentioned, Seattle prefers to have the ball and dictate the game, like the Crew. The Crew can gain a massive advantage by simply just keeping the ball and making Seattle uncomfortable and making them defend for long periods of time.