FULL TIME: The Sounders lost their first game of the season, losing 1-0 to FC Cincinnati on Saturday. Brenner scored the game’s only goal.
The Sounders appeared to equalize in the 90th minute when Yeimar Goméz Andrade converted Jordan Morris’ cross. But after VAR intervened, it was ruled that Yeimar fouled the defender to make room.
FC CINCINNATI 1, SOUNDERS 0: Moments after running away with a bad turnover in their own end, the Sounders gave it away again and this time paid it off. Brenner found space near the top of the box and beat Stefan Frei low and off the post.
CALENDAR: Fredy Montero gets the green light in place of injured Héber while Raúl Ruidíaz will be available off the bench.
The Seattle Sounders will face their biggest test of the young season on their first-ever trip to FC Cincinnati today. FC Cincinnati has been a dark horse to fight for the Supporters’ Shield this year after making its first-ever playoff appearance in 2022, which followed three straight Wooden Spoon finishes.
Cincinnati is led by an impressive offensive line of Brenner, Brandon Vazquez and Luciano Acosta, who totaled 46 goals and 33 assists last year. They haven’t looked as great this year – failing to register a goal or an assist – but should still be a handful.
For all of Cincinnati’s improvement, however, they were still pretty mediocre at home in 2022, going 6-5-6. They are 8-16-11 all-time at TQL Stadium.
After briefly training at full strength for a day, the Sounders will go slightly shorthanded after Héber suffered a hamstring strain and was ruled out for the game. Head coach Brian Schmetzer will likely have to choose between veterans Raúl Ruidíaz and Fredy Montero to replace Héber.
Cincinnati started the season 1-0-1, beating the Houston Dynamo 2-1 at home in their opener and drawing 0-0 at Orlando City last week.
- The two teams have met twice before, with the Sounders winning the first meeting, 4-1, in 2019 and the two teams drawing 1-1 last year in Seattle.
- FC Cincinnati has scored at least two goals in each of its last seven home games, the longest active streak in MLS.
- After beating their opponents 6-0 in their first two games, the Sounders became the first team in MLS history to start their season scoring at least five goals and conceding none.
- Héber became the first Sounder to score in his first two MLS games since Fredy Montero did so in 2009. João Paulo also scored in his first two Sounders appearances in 2020, but both were in the CCL. No one started their Sounders career with goals in three straight games.
SeTotitle
OUT: Hebrew (left hamstring)
FC Cincinnati
QUESTIONABLE: Santiago Arias (leg)
REF: Joe Dickerson; AR1: Kevin Klinger; AR2: Brian Dunn; 4TH: Nick Uranga; WAS: David Barri; AVA: Fabio Tovar
Match/kick-off date time: Saturday, 4:38 p.m. PT
Place: TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
Worldwide streaming in English: MLS season pass (Tyler Terens & Devon Kerr)
Worldwide Spanish Streaming: MLS subscription (Bruno Van & Andres Aquilla)
English television: None
local radio: 950 KJR-AM Seattle, iHeartMedia (Danny Jackson and Steve Zakuani)
Lovsin spanishh Radio: El Rey 1360 AM (Rodriguez, Maqueda, Tapia)
Is this game available to stream for free? Yes
Will Sounders radio be available as an alternate source? No
Highlights will be displayed as the match progresses.
Here are the Seattle Sounders at FC Cincinnati; watch with us
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