Minnesota United eye first win over Sounders on road

If there's ever a time for Minnesota United to post a road win over the Seattle Sounders, Saturday night seems like that occasion.

Seattle has won all seven previous meetings at Lumen Field and is 11-1-2 all-time against Minnesota.

But Minnesota United (8-3-5, 29 points) have had the better of it this year, and reside in third place in the Western Conference.

Meanwhile, the Sounders (4-7-6, 18 points) are struggling at at the season's halfway point. They're coming off a 2-1 loss on June 8 at Sporting Kansas City, which recorded the winning goal in the 85th minute.

Seattle has allowed the 10th-fewest goals in the league but hasn't always given itself enough margin for error with a bottom 10 offense.

"Our season has been living on the knife's edge the whole time," goalkeeper Stefan Frei said. "As of right now, our mistakes, as sporadic as they might come, are defining us. We need to find a way to give ourselves space to make mistakes and still be OK."

The Sounders will be short-handed Saturday night as defender Reed Baker-Whiting will be suspended after being ejected from the loss in Kansas City. Two other defenders, Nouhou and Stuart Hawkins, are away playing for their national teams.

Meanwhile, Minnesota is coming off a 1-1 draw on June 8 against Dallas, getting its goal via Hassani Dotson in the ninth minute. The Loons played without a spate of regulars but still carried play to the visitors with a 13-6 advantage in shots and a 6-4 cushion in shots on frame.

"I was really happy with a point," said Minnesota coach Eric Ramsay said. "We wouldn't have blown anyone away with that performance but we needed that performance. We didn't have ways of changing the game. We didn't have loads of depth."

Minnesota called up four players on short-term loans for that match and used two of them. But it should welcome back mainstays Kervin Arriaga and Robin Lod to its starting lineup.

--Field Level Media