Match Preview - Seattle Sounders
Game Info
Kickoff: 8:40pm CT
Watch: Apple TV
Location: Q2 Stadium - Austin, TX
All-Time H2H Record
Austin FC has a 2W-3D-5L all-time record against Seattle Sounders.
The last time these two teams met was back in September 2025, where Austin FC pulled off their first ever victory over Seattle at Q2 Stadium thanks to Diego Rubio’s individual effort at the end of the first half (that ended up being his final goal in an Austin kit) and a Myrto Uzuni winner in second half stoppage time assisted by CJ Fodrey.
Seattle Sounders Recent Form
Since this is our first time seeing the Sounders in 2026, behold your customary brief history lesson about Austin’s next opponent.
Seattle joined MLS as the league’s ninth expansion franchise in 2009, carrying on the Sounders name from the former NASL, APSL, A-League and USL First Division clubs that existed between 1974-2008. They’ve since established themselves as one of the most successful and storied clubs in MLS, making the playoffs every year from 2009 to 2022 (an MLS record at the time that has since been broken by New York Red Bulls), winning the Supporter’s Shield in 2014 and a pair of MLS Cup championships in 2016 and 2019.
The Sounders are the only MLS club to win every available trophy. On top of their league success they have won the U.S. Open Cup four times (2009, 2010, 2011, 2014), are the only MLS team to win CONCACAF Champions Cup (2022) and they were the Leagues Cup champions in 2025.
They’ve been under the direction of head coach Brian Schmetzer since 2016, meaning he’s been at the helm for four of those trophies. During his tenure the Sounders have finished lower than fifth in the Western Conference just once, an 11th place standing in the table in the 2022 season.
Seattle came out of the gates hot to begin the 2026 season, losing just two of their first eleven league games and recording 24 points in that span. However, similar to Austin FC, the Sounders limped into the World Cup break, losing their last two games to close out May.
Things got worse in their return to league play last week. As one of the “showcase” matches put on by MLS between the World Cup semi-finals and final, Seattle hosted Cascadia Cup rivals Portland Timbers, a match that ended in a record setting 5-1 defeat for the home side. That loss means they’ve been outscored 8-1 in their last three league matches entering Wednesday’s fixture against ATX.
The injury report was a huge factor for the Sounders last week and we should expect it to play a significant role in the midweek. We’ll get confirmation of that on Tuesday afternoon, but with both Roldan brothers sidelined along with three of the team’s top four centerback options among a number of other starting caliber players, Seattle could be thin once again for this game. On top of that, striker Jordan Morris was subbed off at halftime against Portland and seen with an ice wrap on his thigh. For a player that has consistently struggled with lower body soft tissue injuries, it’s a bad sign for his availability in this one.
That said, longtime Austin FC fans will know that Seattle has historically had little trouble with a “next man up” mentality when coming to Q2 Stadium shorthanded, a tradition famously started in 2021 when the Sounders started seven academy or second team players alongside a handful of first team backups in a pinch and escaped with a 1-0 victory behind a Raul Ruidiaz wonderstrike. In my opinion, it remains one of the best goals ever scored at Q2 Stadium.
No matter who is available for the visitors on Wednesday night, you can count on the Sounders having no trouble getting motivated to bounce back against Austin after one of the worst losses in their clubs storied history.
Austin FC Recent Form
As we discussed on Sunday’s Episode 318, a lot has gone on in the Austin FC universe during the World Cup break, including a new head coach, three player personnel moves and some significant GAM accumulation, among other headlines.
We got a glimpse of how the team is looking coming out of the break at Saturday’s open training held at Q2 Stadium for season ticket members. While there were some letdowns, like learning that Mikkel Desler and Jon Bell are dealing with injuries and that Brendan Hines-Ike isn’t yet 90-minutes fit in his recovery from a hamstring injury suffered against Minnesota United back on May 10th, there were also some bright spots.
There was a first look at new winger Przemysław Płacheta (we’re gonna have to talk about his nickname preferences on Thursday’s episode) and his blazing speed, along with an apparently revitalized Owen Wolff, who flashed his typical brilliance on the ball and a few smiles over the hour-long practice session. There were also positive flashes from younger players like Micah Burton and second-team fan favorite Jorge Alastuey.
Interim head coach Davy Arnaud mentioned in his Monday morning media availability session that the coaching staff is encouraged by some of the new tactics they’ve been implementing. But, as evidenced by the relative extreme secrecy from the club surrounding the team’s trio of friendlies they played over the last two weeks, Arnaud was less than forthcoming about what those changes entail.
It’s an exciting soundbite to me as a fan. We know what head-coach-in-waiting Jim Curtin likes to do from a tactical perspective after he gave Austin fans a detailed breakdown in his welcome press conference about six weeks ago. Seeing things like a relentless press on negative passes from the opponent and a compact defensive unit no matter where the ball is on the pitch are things that might take time for the players to master, but is, in my opinion, totally worth the potential growing pains as we wait for Coach Curtin’s arrival ahead of the sprint season in the spring.
Stylistic changes are one thing, lineup decisions are another thing to look out for this Wednesday. With Dani Pereira now a CF Montreal player, how Arnaud aligns his midfield is where my eyes will focus first when the lineup drops about an hour before kickoff. Will we see Joseph Rosales continue to be the Swiss army knife he was deployed as in the first half of the season paired with Ilie Sanchez in the defensive midfield, or will it be Owen Wolff sliding back to Pereira’s usual position?
We could also see the first start for Brandon Vazquez since tearing his ACL just over a calendar year ago. The pair of DP goal scorers in Vazuqez and Myrto Uzuni didn’t have a ton of time to gel together before the injury in 2025 and when they did get the chance to start and play together it never really clicked. Austin fans are hoping that the midseason “second training camp” the team is emerging from provided an opportunity to work on a connection that must improve for the Verde and Black to make a push for the postseason.
Austin FC resumes league play six points back of the ninth seed and final wild card spot in the Western Conference. It’s a tall task for any team, but far from an insurmountable gap to bridge with 56% of the season remaining. A win against Seattle at home would go a long way to reigniting some belief amongst the Verde faithful, who have gone since October 2022 without a playoff win.
Injury Report
ATX:
Mikkel Desler (Out - Achilles)
Jon Bell (Out - Pubis)
SEA:
Yeimar (Questionable - Hamstring)
Ryan Sailor (Questionable - Hamstring)
Kim Kee-hee (Out - Hamstring)
Christian Roldan (Out - Quad)
Alex Roldan (Out - Hip)
Jordan Morris (Out - Thigh)
Pedro De La Vega (Out - Knee)
Nikola Petkovic (Out - Knee)
Seattle Sounders Players to Watch
Albert Rusnak - Now in his fifth season with the Sounders and tenth in MLS, Rusnak is the engine of the Seattle midfield. He grew up playing on the wing but has since been converted to more of a playmaker, pulling the strings for the bevy of talented attacking teammates surrounding him in Seattle. The 32-year-old Czech national is the highest paid player on the roster and has been worth every penny of late, as Rusnak is on pace for his third straight 20+ goal contribution season. To put that into perspective, only two players have ever achieved a single statistical season of that magnitude for ATX, Sebastián Driussi and Diego Fagundez, both in the 2022 season.
Jesus Ferreira - After being traded to Seattle prior to the 2025 season, Ferreira’s statistical output has slowed considerably. But don’t let that fool you into a false sense of security when it comes to Seattle’s number nine. Austin FC fans are all too familiar with the former FC Dallas homegrown and USMNT forward. Ferreira has the most goals scored at Q2 Stadium by a non-Austin FC player across all competitions, including some ill-advised beer showers from the South End after removing his jersey and holding it up towards ATX fans when he last scored here in league play in 2023.
Austin FC Keys to the Game
Bob Some Heads: For Brad Stuver bobblehead night I expect a crowd that shows up early and is ready to explode with raucous support for the Verde and Black. The bobbleheads are getting fans in the door, but can a team that entered the World Cup break at potentially the lowest point in club history and was further dismantled by the trade of Dani Pereira actually give the Verde faithful an on-field product to be proud of? That’s the challenge for this squad the rest of the season as it makes a playoff push through the remaining 19 matches of the 2026 regular season schedule and it starts on Wednesday night. If there are human heads bobbing along with the 10,000 plastic Stuver noggins at the final whistle, that means fans are leaving Q2 Stadium happy for the first time since May 3rd.
Predictions
ZG- 2-1 Austin FC
E- 1-0 Austin FC
