It may not seem tragic on the surface, the absence of Fredy Montero from the Seattle Sounders lineup. After all, the Sounders scored two (!) goals against San Jose without their star forward. O'Brian White finally found the net, as did Brad Evans, playing in central midfield. But despite this, Seattle still hasn't recorded a win, picking up just two points in four matches. While Montero can't perform miracles, it would sure help to have him on the pitch against the Chicago Fire.
Instead, Seattle will likely start Mario Rosales just behind White, with Evans, Osvaldo Alonso, Steve Zakuani and Erik Friberg rounding out the midfield. The defense remains set: Leo Gonzalez, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Jeff Parke and James Riley all in front of, who else, Kasey Keller. Meanwhile, the Fire won't be starting the much-anticipated 3-5-2 formation, which is upsetting for those of us who'd like to see more of a three-man defense in the MLS. But Josip Mikulic didn't travel with Chicago, and without the center back, the Fire will shift to a more standard 4-4-2.
The visitors have the same number of points as Seattle, although Chicago have a win, 3-2 at home to Sporting Kansas City. The Fire also just beat the Colorado Rapids to qualify for the U.S. Open Cup, so they'll be feeding off that victory as they head to Seattle. The Sounders, meanwhile, have been increasing their momentum as of late, so could this be the time to collect all three points? After all, Seattle have never lost to the Fire, so if anytime is the time to start winning, that time is Saturday at 1PM PST.