With just four games left in the regular season, head coach Brian Schmetzer wants consistency and clinical finishing from the squad. Schmetzer’s wish list, more like a to-do list, is longer than the two aforementioned items. Those are the two items at the top. The Sounders (11-10-9, 42pts) currently hold the seventh playoff spot in the Western Conference and are looking to avoid the dreaded 8th or 9th position.
Teams in those positions will begin the MLS Playoffs with a winner-take-all match. A late-season run will build momentum and keep them out of harm’s way. San Diego FC (8-12-10, 34pts) stands in the way of the Rave Green’s run. San Diego is 12th in the Western Conference with a slim chance of making the playoffs. The last time the Sounders played a team that seemed to have nothing to play for, they had to scramble to a 1-1 draw against Western Conference cellar-dwellers CF Montreal.
BACKLINE SHUFFLE
A hamstring injury to centerback Yeimar will force Schmetzer to shuffle his lineup one game.
Jackson Ragen is back in full health after missing the Montréal game with the flu. When asked, Schmetzer was confident he had able replacements for Yeimar.
“ Alex Roldan has played center back, Jackson is ready,” we have plenty to cover,” said Schmetzer.
A solid backline is just one of the many concerns we will have on Saturday. San Diego FC’s attack is led by Anders Dreyer. The Denmark international has scored in each of San Diego’s two games. The Sounders will need a fast start to avoid their current pattern of slow starts, which has led to giving up early goals.
Dreyer has scored 12 MLS goals this season and scored a penalty-kick goal in San Diego’s 1-1 draw with the LA Galaxy.
SOUNDERS NEED TO FIND THEIR SCORING TOUCH
A quick start on the offensive end is something Schmetzer is asking of his players. Clinical finishing has been a missing in the Sounders’ attack. In the summer transfer window, the Sounders signed striker Dejan Joveljic. The Bosnia and Herzegovina international scored a brace on his debut with the Sounders on August 29th against the Chicago Fire. It has been tough sledding since the magical debut. Joveljic has scored just two goals.
Several issues explain why this has happened. The Sounders have improved their build-up play but are lacking the guile, creativity, and clinical finish in the final third.
CREATIVITY NEEDED IN THE FINAL THIRD
From a creativity perspective, the Sounders need more runners through the box, not runners who enter and wait for the ball. Another issue is a lack of line-breaking passes to the striker, or space for him to run into, from the midblock. Joveljic is hungry for the ball, making moves in and out of the box. When in possession, Albert Rusnák, Jesus Ferreria, and Jordan Morris will need to be mindful of where Joveljic is when he makes attacking runs inside the San Diego goal box.
GAME NOTES
need to know:
WHEN AND WHERE: Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. PT at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, Calif.
WHERE TO WATCH: The match will be available to watch on Apple TV.
WHERE TO LISTEN: The match will air on 950 KJR AM in English and El Rey 1360AM in Spanish.
2026 MLS STANDINGS: Sounders: 11-10-9 (42 points, 7th in the West), San Diego (8-12-10, 12th in the West)
FORM GUIDE (all competitions, most recent first): Seattle: DLWWW, San Diego: DDLDD
PREVIOUS MEETING: The Sounders and San Diego FC played to a thrilling 1-1 draw at Lumen Field back on May 9. The visitors took an early lead when Marcus Ingvartsen slipped behind Seattle’s back line and slotted his shot into the side netting. After carving out a host of high-quality chances, the Sounders finally equalized in the 80th minute when Cristian Roldan redirected an Albert Rusnák corner kick for Danny Musovski to sweep home inside the six-yard box.
INJURY REPORT
Seattle Sounders FC
Pedro de la Vega – Quad (Out)
Yeimar Gómez Andrade – Hamstring (Out)
Danny Musovski – Head (Out)
Nikola Petković – Knee (Out)
Paul Rothrock – Hamstring (Questionable)
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