Group F action at the Leagues Cup will begin with an all-MLS affair between the Seattle Sounders and Minnesota United, who square off at Lumen Field on Friday.
The Sounders are coming off a 3-0 loss to Los Angeles FC in their final domestic contest before this tournament, while the Loons defeated the San Jose Earthquakes 2-0.
Match preview
Seattle will enter this competition on a bit of a sour note, though given their form of late, it feels like just a minor hiccup.
Their defeat last Saturday ended an eight-match unbeaten run for them across all competitions, seven of which were victories.
Since May, the Rave Green have only suffered one defeat at home, posting six clean sheets domestically at Lumen Field this year.
Last year, Seattle had a forgettable Leagues Cup campaign, losing both of their encounters by a combined margin of 7-2 and finishing at the bottom of their group.
Friday will be the first time Brian Schmetzer's men host a Leagues Cup encounter since 2019, and they boast a 100% record at Lumen Field in this tournament, winning those two encounters by a combined score of 4-0.
They have won their last four matches across all competitions when scoring the opening goal and have not lost at home this year when doing so.
While Seattle ended a lengthy unbeaten run, Minnesota managed to end a lengthy winless streak last weekend, one which lasted for nine MLS games.
That victory over San Jose was the first for this team since a 3-1 win over Sporting Kansas City in early June and their first clean sheet since a 3-0 triumph over Charlotte FC in April.
On Friday, the Loons can claim consecutive triumphs for the first time since winning three straight MLS contests from April 21 until May 4.
You have to go back to early May for the last time Eric Ramsay's men won an away match, hanging onto a narrow 2-1 victory over Atlanta United.
The Loons have never won a Leagues Cup contest away from home in 90 minutes, though they defeated the Columbus Crew at Lower.com Field on penalties in the 2023 round of 32.
Minnesota United have lost all nine of their previous visits to Seattle, suffering a 2-0 defeat at Lumen Field in mid-June.
Team News
Braudilio Rodrigues is unlikely to feature for Seattle on Friday because of a hamstring strain, while Stuart Hawkins is away on international duty for the USA at the CONCACAF U-20 championship and Josh Atencio is an alternate for the Americans at the Paris Olympics.
In 2023, the only Sounder goals at this tournament came from Jordan Morris and Nicolas Lodeiro in their 4-2 defeat versus Monterrey.
DJ Taylor and Wil Trapp are dealing with sore hamstrings and are not expected to feature for Minnesota on Friday, Clint Irwin is recovering from a groin strain and Hugo Bacharach has a knee injury.
At the Leagues Cup a year ago, Bongokuhle Hlongwane was their standout player, netting seven times, the second-most in the competition behind Lionel Messi (10).
Seattle Sounders possible starting lineup:
Frei; A. Roldan, Gomez-Andrade, Ragen, Tolo; Paulo, Vargas; de la Vega, Rusnak, C. Roldan; Morris
Minnesota United possible starting lineup:
St. Clair; Valentin, Harvey, Tapias, Padelford, Rosales; Lod, Sang-bin, Dotson, Hlongwane; Oluwaseyi
We say: Seattle Sounders 2-1 Minnesota United
While the Loons have plenty of dangerous attacking players, we are tipping the Rave Green to shut them down and find a way to win, with Seattle boasting the best defence in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (29 goals conceded).
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