I’m sitting here watching Toronto FC v Arabe Unido in the first CCL match of the night, and wondering…why bother? These teams are playing for third place. Real Salt Lake and Cruz Azul have already taken the top two spots in the group. There is absolutely nothing riding on this match—except the fear of injuries, and considering Toronto’s season is effectively over, even those aren’t that concerning.
As for the Sounders, they do need to protect their players. There’s another match left in the MLS, but more importantly, the team has playoff matches to win. It worries me that Seattle could face significant injury playing a match that means almost nothing to the team. Sure, they could drag down Saprissa and insure that the Purple Monster doesn’t move on to the next round, but I would rather have the team stay healthy then protect victory at all costs.
In regards to the lineup, I can’t do better than what Dave Clark has to say:
The lineup is impossible to guess. Literally the hardest ever. So I made a stab at it, and I’m going to be wrong. But let’s see if the Sounders run out their marksmen and pressure the last of Jorge Vergara’s teams.
Because Operation: Make Jorge Vergara Sad can end tonight on a great note with a win.
If you’re wondering about Jorge Vegara, we’ve already beaten Chivas USA and Chivas de Guadalajara—he also owns Saprissa. Just wrap yourselves in bubble wrap, Sounders, before making Vegara’s life miserable.