Seattle Sounders vs New York Red Bulls: Sounders miss key men
Seattle Sounders host New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer on Saturday, September 5, with kickoff at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Sounders are reeling from an injury crisis that has left six first-team players unavailable as they try to halt a five-match winless run.
Team News and Injury Latest
Seattle are without Pedro de la Vega (quad), Jesús Ferreira (hamstring), Yeimar Gómez Andrade (calf), Peter Kingston (suspended), Nikola Petković (knee) and Jackson Ragen (knee), all ruled out according to the league’s official player status report. Paul Arriola (calf) is questionable and could be the only returnee. The lengthy list leaves Brian Schmetzer’s side short of depth in central defence and attack.
New York Red Bulls have only Rafael Mosquera (thigh) listed as questionable, giving them a near-full squad. Julian Hall, who has scored nine goals from 45 shots this season, will lead the line and is expected to be the most productive scorer in the fixture. Jorge Ruvalcaba (seven goals) and Emil Forsberg (31 chances created) provide further attacking support.
Recent Form
Seattle’s last five MLS results read L L L D D, the most recent being a 2-2 draw with Chicago Fire in which Sebastian Gomez provided an assist and created three chances. The Sounders have slipped to 13th in the Western Conference, and injuries have repeatedly derailed any momentum.
New York Red Bulls fell 1-3 to the Philadelphia Union in their last outing. Hall hit the woodwork and missed two big chances, while Ethan Horvath was beaten three times. The defeat ended a brief homestand and launched a four-match road trip, with this trip to the Pacific Northwest the first stop.
Key Battle: Julian Hall vs Seattle’s makeshift defence
With Gómez Andrade and Ragen sidelined, Seattle’s centre-back pairing will be patched together. Hall, 18, has already shown he can punish defensive uncertainty, and his movement will test the Sounders’ reshuffled backline. On the other side, Paul Rothrock (five goals, 12 shots on target) remains Seattle’s most direct route to goal, but he will need service from Albert Rusnák, who has created 43 chances this season.