CONCACAF leg one preview — Slaying Santos at home is vital
|
Mike Fiechtner Photography
Herculez Gomez will cause a lot of problems for the Sounders back four tonight, the question is — how will this group of youth and veterans handle the pressure.
For clubs around the globe, mid-season cup ties are an inconvenience. For Seattle Sounders FC though, tonight’s first leg semifinal match against Mexican powerhouse Santos Laguna is a chance for a fresh start — a new outlook on what has been a depressing season start.
A win tonight would not be historic — the Sounders defeated Santos at home last season before falling badly in the road leg — nor would it give the club, city or supports that overwhelming lift of support needed to run the table on the remaining 30 or so MLS matches. What a victory tonight would do though is give the Sounders and MLS as a whole an opportunity to make a massive splash on a global scale. This is a chance that the LA Galaxy will also have tomorrow in their home leg against C.F. Monterrey. Heading down to Mexico for a second leg is one of the most difficult tasks in American soccer — so getting off on the right foot is vital for the Rave Green.
Here’s a nice video preview that MLS threw together for tonight’s match, featuring analysis from Starfire, the MLS studios and a little look at Santos star and American forward Herculez Gomez.
Along with the video, here’s a few extra notes to keep an eye on in tonight’s match — the first half of a 180-minute battle.
Projected Starting XI — Again, with the injury status of the two forwards unknown this could change quite a bit. For the meantime I’m putting both EJ and Martins in the starting group, but their likely replacements would be Sammy Ochoa, Mauro Rosales or an interchanging of roles from guys like Martinez or Steve Zakuani.
GK – Marcus Hahnemann
CB – Djimi Traore CB – Jhon Kennedy Hurtado/Zach Scott
RB – DeAndre Yedlin LB – Leo Gonzalez
CDM – Ozzie Alonso
RM – Mario Martinez LM – Steve Zakuani
CAM – Brad Evans
FW – Eddie Johnson FW – Obafemi Martins
The match kicks-off at 7 p.m. and can be viewed on Fox Soccer Channel — although from what I’m seeing there’s still a ton of tickets left (and for pretty cheap), so if you’re free, get down to CenturyLink — this is one match that’d be killer to see in person.
You can also follow myself and fellow NASORB writer Sean Kramer on Twitter during tonight’s match for analysis.