Struggling Sounders to face D.C. United down 2 defenders

Two underwhelming teams will faceoff at Audi Stadium on Saturday.

The Sounders and D.C. United were predicted to challenge for the Supporters’ Shield. Neither is off to a good start. United is on a three-match winless skid while the Sounders are trying to shake off a 2-0 loss to Vancouver last week.

Here’s a look at Saturday’s match:

The details

Sounders (1-4-3) vs. D.C. United (2-3-4)

Time/place: 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.

TV: Apple TV+.

Radio: 950 KJR AM in English and El Rey 1360 AM in Spanish.

Series history: Seattle leads the all-time series 9-3-2 since 2009.

Here are the storylines:

It’s been awhile

The sides haven’t played each other since 2019. The match was at Audi Field and D.C. won 2-0. The result snapped Seattle’s eight-match unbeaten streak against United.

Lineup considerations

Suspensions and a short turnaround to play a rescheduled road match against the Philadelphia Union will dictate Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer’s lineup choices — not the team needing to find ways to score.

Seattle defenders Alex Roldan and Jackson Ragen will serve a one-game suspension against D.C. for red cards shown in the loss to Vancouver. They must start against Philly on Tuesday because that match is a continuation of the delayed meeting in March due to field conditions.

MLS rules state the lineups on the field must be the same — sans trades and injuries — when play resumes in the sixth minute.

The Sounders will bus to Philadelphia after the D.C. match.

Scoring envy

Conceding early goals is an issue for United, including one in the 20^th minute of a 2-0 road loss to New York City FC last week. The Black-and-Red don’t have trouble scoring. Belgium international Christian Benteke has six goals this season and sits third in the Golden Boot race behind Real Salt Lake striker Cristian Arango (eight goals) and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (seven).