The Seattle Sounders welcomed the New England Revolution to CenturyLink Field, for their first league visit since 2017. The Sounders came into this match on the back of two home losses, an unusual occurrence, while the New England Revolution have been unbeaten in their past 10 matches. This match would have important implications for the MLS playoff race, as the Revolution came into this match in the final Eastern Conference spot, only one point ahead of Toronto FC.
Bruce Arena was appointed as the Manager and Sporting Director of the New England Revolution on 14th May and has enacted an amazing turnaround to take the New England Revolution from one of the worst sides in MLS to a playoff contender. Two key components of the revival have been former Aston Villa FC’s Carles Gil, who is a favourite for the MLS Newcomer of the Year award. The other component was recently acquired Designated Player Gustavo Bou, who was brought in from Club Tijuana on 10 July.
The Seattle Sounders have been more consistent than the away side and came into this match in third place in the Western Conference, sitting behind LAFC and Minnesota United. Suffering from several injuries, they have now lost their best defender, Roman Torres, to a substance-abuse suspension. These problems have resulted in Seattle only taking three points from the last three matches.
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