Seattle Sounders vs. FC Dallas: Keys That Will Shape Semi
The Supporters' Shield-winning Seattle Sounders face FC Dallas in the Western Conference semifinals, beginning on Sunday night. The first leg will be at Toyota Stadium, and the return match will be hosted at CenturyLink Field the following weekend.
There have only been six Supporters' Shield winners that have gone on to win the MLS Cup, per ESPN FC. Seattle will be hoping to make history and become the seventh side to accomplish the feat.
Here are the keys to this Western Conference semifinal matchup.
How Will Dallas Cope Without Mauro Diaz?
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FC Dallas was dealt a significant blow after Mauro Diaz was suspended for one game by the MLS disciplinary committee after an incident against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday.
Diaz is crucial to Dallas' attack. He plays off Blas Perez and is the main playmaker for the team. However, head coach Oscar Pareja brought off the 23-year-old against the Whitecaps, and the Hoops ended up clinching the victory.
Andres Escobar was Diaz's replacement, so Pareja might give the nod to the Colombian to fill in for his suspended teammate.
The Dempsey-Martins Duo
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Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins have been terrific this season. The duo has scored 32 goals combined, but both players have been involved in 55 of the team's 65 goals, which is an incredible number.
However, there have been a few games when Dempsey and Martins failed to click. The 1-0 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps is one example.
On the other hand, the strikers have had success against Dallas this year. Dempsey scored twice in the first meeting of the season and has been involved in goals in the other two games.
Dallas' Pressing
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Dallas' pressing against the Vancouver Whitecaps was one of the keys to its win on Wednesday. Dallas didn't concede a lot of space on counters to the likes of Pedro Morales and Erik Hurtado, which was crucial to the victory.
That's something Seattle is going to have to deal with, especially the defence. Chad Marshall is a capable ball-playing defender, but he and his teammates are far from perfect. If they're pressured, they might commit a colossal error.
The key is fitness. Out-passing and out-running the Hoops is one way to counteract the pressing. Vancouver did it in the second half and their attack dramatically improved.
Alonso vs. Michel
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Michel's battle against Matias Laba was enticing in the knockout round, but now he'll be going up against another top defensive midfielder in Osvaldo Alonso.
This is probably the most tasty individual matchup. Both players are terrific defensively, they're composed and their passing is extremely underrated.
Michel and Alonso will be very important for their teams over the two legs. They have to assert themselves early and often.
Width
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Seattle and Dallas both have excellent wingers and full-backs that have a major impact on games. However, the two sides are also susceptible to attacks coming from the flanks, which is why this promises to be a very open affair.
DeAndre Yedlin, Lamar Neagle, Fabian Castillo, Zach Loyd and Je-Vaughn Watson are all terrific going forward, especially the likes of Yedlin, Loyd and Watson.
On the other hand, they'll have a lot more work to do given the threats they'll have to deal with on their respective flanks. It will be interesting to see how adventurous the full-backs are and how they'll perform defensively.
