The Sounders are back on the road with a match against the Houston Dynamo.
They are buoyed by forward Jordan Morris, who has pocketed a goal in four of his past five games. He has five goals overall this season and one assist.
“We know we’re good enough to play with anyone in the league,” Morris said after scoring the opening goal in a 2-0 win against Minnesota on Saturday. “We showed that. Our home form needed to turnaround, so I’m glad we put in a good performance.”
Here’s a look at Wednesday’s match:
The details
Sounders (5-7-6) at Houston (6-6-5)
Time/place: 5:30 p.m. at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas.
TV: Apple TV (free)
Radio: 950 KJR AM in English, in Spanish on El Rey 1360 AM
Series history: Sounders lead the all-time series 17-6-7 since 2009.
Here are the storylines:
Keep rocking?
Houston is a special place for Sounders midfielder Paul Rothrock. He scored his first MLS career goal in a road win against the Dynamo last year. Rothrock pocketed his second in the win Saturday.
Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said there was no hesitation in putting Rothrock in the match at Lumen to replace defender Alex Roldan, who was placed under concussion protocol after colliding with an opponent. Was Rothrock’s performance enough to get a start Wednesday?
“It’s a tough one, coming in like that,” Rothrock said of Saturday. Roldan isn’t expected to be available against Houston. “I hope Alex is going to be OK. But it’s a lesson in staying ready and always being ready. I had that earlier experience at Real Salt Lake. I didn’t play as well as I played [Saturday]. So, I think that helped me a little bit.”
Keep climbing
The Sounders moved above the playoff line after the Minnesota win and could overtake Houston with another victory. The Dynamo are seeded seventh with 23 points. The Sounders are ninth with 21 points.
Houston drew 2-2 on the road against Atlanta United on Saturday. They’re unbeaten in their past three MLS matches.
