The Seattle Sounders roll into tonight’s game against the Colorado Rapids with a four-match unbeaten streak, and the chance to jump into a playoff position. Yeah, you read that right. A win tonight means getting into a playoff spot for the first time in about four months. That tells you more about the expanded playoffs than our recent dominance, but hey, a spot is a spot, right?
The Playoff Push is REAL
The stakes are absolutely massive for the Emerald City’s boys tonight. As play begins, we’re sitting just seven points behind the seventh-place Rapids, but with two huge games in hand. Snagging three points tonight would not only potentially put us into a playoff spot, it also makes getting out of the dreaded play-in round look way more attainable. We gotta capitalize on this unbeaten run. The team’s recent form of DDDDL isn’t exactly a highlight reel, but an unbeaten streak is an unbeaten streak. Getting a result here against Colorado will totally determine what’s still even possible for this season.
Colorado’s Fortress and History in the Making
Here’s the kicker, though: the Rapids aren’t going to make this easy. They’re a massive hurdle. These guys haven’t given up a single goal in six straight home league games. Six! Their nine home wins are tied for the most in the entire Western Conference. That’s a fortress we’re trying to breach tonight at Dicks Sporting Goods Park. But hey, we’ve got history on our side, kinda. The Sounders hold an all-time record of 24-8-7 against them, including a 9-6-4 record at Dicks Sporting Goods Park itself. Also, how about Andrew Thomas? The dude is second in MLS with 9.8 goals prevented, according to Opta. He’s been an absolute wall. And get this: our Sounders have 99 all-time road wins in MLS play. Tonight, we could become the fastest team to 100 road wins in league history. Talk about something to fight for!
Who’s Out, Who’s Questionable
Unfortunately, we’re not at full strength for this critical match. The Sounders have a few key guys out: Pedro de la Vega is nursing a quad injury, Jesús Ferreira and Paul Rothrock are both out with hamstring issues, and Nikola Petkovic has a knee injury. Plus, we’ve got Yeimar Gómez Andrade listed as questionable with a calf issue. That’s a lot to deal with. The Rapids also have their own list of absences: Billo Diop (knee), Ted Ku-DiPietro (shoulder), Zack Steffen (shoulder), and Kosi Thompson (suspended) are all out. Youssef Maziz is questionable for them with a leg problem. Both teams are gonna have to dig deep.
It all kicks off tonight, Saturday, September 19, at 6:30 PM PT. This isn’t just another road game. This is about taking a playoff spot, chasing a piece of MLS history with that 100th road win, and proving we can break through an ironclad home defense. Let’s go, Sounders! Time to show the league what the Emerald City is made of.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Sounder at Heart.
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