Five things the Sounders should know when traveling to Atlanta

The Seattle Sounders travel to the East Coast on Saturday afternoon to take on Atlanta United. Both teams are desperate for points to consolidate/secure their playoff spot. Five things to know about the match (noon, ABC):

Last summer, former Sounders midfielder and assistant coach Gonzalo Pineda made headlines when he left the club to join Atlanta United midway through the season. It’s been an up and down year for Gonzo and his team (mostly ups and downs) but he will no doubt want to make a statement against his former team on Saturday. Another front we see in the stands is former midfielder Ozzie Alonso. While he didn’t play in the game due to a torn ACL he suffered earlier in the season, he will likely attend the game to visit his old teammates and current ones.

Striker Raul Rudiaz will be fully fit to face Atlanta United as expected following his 25-minute game against FC Dallas on Tuesday night. He was listed as questionable on the previous injury report, but hopefully that’s behind him now. The Sounders’ record has been impressive with and without Rui Diaz, so it will undoubtedly play a big role in their hopes of bringing all three points back to Seattle.

The Western Conference is more crowded than I have ever seen it. Five points separate 3rd from 9th and that trend is unlikely to change as we inch closer to decision day. Picking up points for a struggling away team is bound to be the difference between finishing the season over or under the line. A good three points elsewhere could lift the Sounders up to 3rd to finish the match week. Zero points could see them drop to 9th.

The Sounders are well placed with both LAFC and FC Dallas as their best teams. A number of players have played over 180 minutes in the past week, so it’s no surprise to see some start on the bench. Schmetzer has used a back-5 formation on the road recently, so we think that could be the case on Saturday when Atlanta United try the same idea in recent weeks.

The 2018 MLS Cup winner Atlanta United is gone. A series of bad investments along with a miserable injury battle left the team depleted and desperate for points. With 22 games played and 12 games remaining, Atlanta sits in 12th place in the East. Fortunately, joining the playoffs in the East is still a very real possibility. 5th place is separated from 12th place by 5 points and it is almost as crowded as the West.