LINEUPS: João Paulo gets the start in place of the suspended Obed Vargas, but otherwise it’s effectively the same lineup the Sounders have been using for the last couple of months.

The Seattle Sounders will face a Houston Dynamo team that should look very familiar to them. Like the Sounders, the Dynamo play sound defense almost as much through possession as actual defending. Also like the Sounders, the Dynamo aren’t the most effecient offense.

Although the Sounders have historically gotten the better of Houston, especially at home, they shouldn’t be taken lightly. In the two meetings this year, the Sounders were 1-0-1. The Dynamo will also have both Hector Herrera and Ezequiel Ponce, neither of whom were available in the previous meetings.

Notes

This is Game 1 of a best-of-3 series, which means there’s no aggregate scoring. If it’s tied at the end of regulation, it will go straight to a shootout. The first team to two wins will advance.
The Dynamo led the league in possession and allowed the third fewest goals. They also scored fewer goals than any other Western Conference playoff team.
This will be the third time the Sounders have faced the Dynamo in the playoffs. The Sounders won the most recent meeting 5-0 on aggregate in 2017.
The Sounders are 5-1 in multi-game playoff series under Brian Schmetzer, which includes a win over FC Dallas in last year’s best-of-3 series.