Sounders Face DC United at Home Short-Handed
By Ben Renner
The Sounders will have to make due without two of their most dangerous offensive weapons against DC United at the Clink tonight.
The Sounders will be without Clint Dempsey and Jordan Morris tonight of course due to the two forwards’ commitment to the USMNT, which faces El Salvador in the Gold Cup quarterfinals tonight at almost the same time as the Sounders game.
The Sounders kickoff is at 7:30 pm at CenturyLink Field and it will be televised on Seattle’s Q13 FOX. Dempsey and company kick off at Lincoln Field in Philadelphia at 6 pm PST, televised on Fox Sports 1.
Should you choose to flip back and forth (dangerous for viewing soccer games, in my opinion, but sometimes necessary), you’ll see a Sounders side that has owned DC United in the six previous games, going 5-0-1 and outscoring DC 9-0.
Cristian Roldan returned to the Sounders after seeing action in group play for the USMNT, but along with Morris and Dempsey, Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer will also be without Oniel Fisher, who is playing for his national team, Jamaica, in the Gold Cup.
More from Emerald City Swagger
- Seattle Seahawks: To rest or not to rest, that is the question
- Washington State Football: What you need to know for 2018 Alamo Bowl
- Washington Basketball: 3 takeaways from Huskies win over Sacramento St.
- Seattle Seahawks: 12s still waiting to exhale
- Seattle Seahawks: 4 Takeaways from 26-23 Loss to the 49ers
DC will be missing their goalkeeper, Bill Hamid, who was last seen shutting out Nicaragua for the USMNT in the final game of group play last weekend.
Among the players of note for DC are Lamar Neagle, the Federal Way native and former Sounder making his first appearance at the Clink since moving on from Seattle in 2015, Ian Harkes, and Deshorn Brown.
Brown is an international signing from Jamaica who has scored one goal so far in four appearances. Harkes is the son of the former USMNT star John Harkes, and the homegrown DC center midfielder and MAC Heisman trophy winner has impressed his coaches so far, scoring one goal and assisting another in 17 games.
Next: Why Mike Hampton Resigned: A Conspiracy Theory
DC has struggled this season, sitting in 11th place in the Eastern Conference at 5-11-3, while the Sounders hold down seventh place in the West at 6-7-6.