Sounders bring good vibes into visit with St. Louis City

Field Level Media|published: Fri 24th May, 19:37 2024

Mar 2, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Sounders FC forward Pedro de la Vega (10) advances the ball against Austin FC during the game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Bradley Carnell's St. Louis City squad will try to avoid a three-match losing streak Saturday when they play host to the Seattle Sounders, who are one of only five MLS clubs to win a game in the Gateway City.

The Sounders (3-6-5, 14 points) are optimistic they will be able to welcome back Pedro de la Vega into the fold. The young winger from Argentina was Seattle's biggest offseason acquisition.

The 23-year-old de la Vega has only appeared in three matches since his arrival from Lanus, which could throw a wrinkle into how Carnell prepares his team. He did not play for Seattle in its 2-1 win over Phoenix Rising on Wednesday in a U.S. Open Cup match.

"We can go back and look at former games from previous teams and stuff like that," Carnell said. "What we can't do is know what his pathway is and how many minutes and whatever. And so we don't want to consume ourselves."

St. Louis (3-3-7, 16 points) could also benefit from increased minutes from attacking midfielder Edouard Lowen, who has made only four appearances this season for a range of reasons.

One of those challenges has been dealing with his wife's cancer diagnosis, he revealed prior to coming off the bench in last Saturday's 3-1 loss at FC Cincinnati.

That was Lowen's first appearance since he played 90 minutes and scored a goal in a 2-2 draw at Austin back on March 9.

The Cincinnati defeat followed a 2-0 loss to LAFC at home on May 15, only the first St. Louis has sustained in front of its home fans this season.

But Seattle was one of four clubs to win at St. Louis in the team's 2023 expansion season, and manager Brian Schmetzer believes that 2-0 triumph should provide a blueprint for this year's group.

"Tough place to play -- they were on a good roll last year," Schmetzer said. "This year their results aren't quite as good but they're still a good team. But last year's performance there away from home was good, solid. We scored early goals. Held on. Good defense. Solid performance."

--Field Level Media

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