Sounders Vs Impact : Another Page In History

Believe it or not, Saturday's Sunday's match between the Seattle Sounders & L'Impact de Montréal is one that is steeped in history. While the two sides have faced each other only twice in MLS play, they have actually met many times before. 26 times in the 14 years they played together in the A-League/USL, in fact.

One could say that it had even became a rivalry back in 2004, one that would continue until both teams made the jump to the top tier. Fielding one of the strongest teams in recent memory, 2004 was the year of the Rave Green, soundly beating our Cascadia compatriots, the Portland Timbers & the Vancouver Whitecaps. Confidence was high coming off an 8-1-1 streak as the Sounders went east to face L'Impact, going through the motions as it all seemed to be going Seattle's way.

And then it happened...

Montréal had been having a strong year as well, making quick and decisive work of the East. Entering the final against the Sounders, they gave no ground and took a very hard fought 2-0 win.

“That first trip to the final in ’04 made it a rivalry. We didn’t like losing to them in ’04. We didn’t like that one bit,” said Sounders present day Assistant Coach Brian Schmetzer, who was head coach of the Club at the time. “We had a pretty good team, but they were at home and had the momentum and on that day they were better than us. That provided some motivation for me as a coach.”

The Clubs would then meet again in the 2005 semifinals (Seattle would go on to the final to win it's first championship since 1996) & 2008 quarterfinals (Montreal would top the Sounders, closing out the Club's USL era as they entered MLS in 2009).

IMFC win 4-1 over Sounders in first MLS era match
Photo Courtesy of SoundersFC.com

Fast forward to this Sunday & the next generation of this rivalry unfolds.While the two sides only face each other once per season due to the East/West conference, it's still a very spirited affair with the Impact having won both of the MLS era matches between the Clubs ( 4-1 in 2012 at Montréal's Stade Saputo and 1-0 in 2013 at CenturyLink Field).

USMNT superstar Clint Dempsey did not make the trek north with the Sounders he will be serving a two match ban due to a "South Of The Border" blow during last week's loss to Toronto FC. With Dempsey out of action Seattle will need Kenny Cooper's commanding presence in front to create room for Obafemi Martins to put the ball home. After being an early first half substitute for Brad Evans in Week 2, Gonzalo Pineda could feature in his first pro-start in a full calendar year. He has shown only very slight rust after such a long layoff but still has the skill & poise that makes him a threat. “He’s a very good possession player,” Coach Schmid said of Pineda. “That’s the reason I came with him. We had possession of the ball against [TFC] and had space to play so I wanted him in there." While the weather threw a wrench into everyone's plans this weekend, that's not necessarily a bad thing considering the knock Brad Evans took. An extra day's rest and he could feature in Sunday's match. Also note worthy is that this will mark Lamar Neagle's return to Montréal for the first time since the trade that sent him back home to Seattle in 2013.

Rave Green is a much better colour for Lamar
Photo Courtesy of MontrealImpact.com

This will be a very hard fought match as Montréal is looking to shake off some early season woes and record their first win of the season, going 0-2-0 on the road to start 2014. The legendary Alessandro Nesta has since retired from professional play, leaving a large whole that has still not been entirely addressed with off season acquisitions. Last season's Golden Boot contender and MLS "Offside" Champion Marco di Vaio will be absent from "Les Bleus et Noir" as he serves the final game of a three match suspension handed out at the end of the 2013 campaign, along with Andres Romero. In his di Vaio's place will be former No. 1 overall draft pick Andrew Wenger, who scored in the season opener against Dallas. Possessing one of the best set-up men in MLS, Patrice Bernier can cause fits with his the ability to control the midfield, an area Seattle struggled with in last week's loss to Toronto FC.

The biggest battle on Sunday will be held on the wings. Impact's Justin Mapp continues to gain form every season and is slowly becoming the star many pundits thought he could be. He'll face off against another emerging star in DeAndre Yedlin. Both posses speed and can handle the ball well with excellent vision across the pitch. Where the Sounders hold the edge is on the opposing wing where Montréal's rookie Eric Miller will face the Sounders Dylan Remick. In their opening two matches, Miller has looked outclassed at times and outplayed in intense situations. Pair that against Remick's aggressive play, high speed runs, ability to pinpoint crosses and his aerial prowess... It's one-sided.

The match is really Seattle's to lose. If they can come out on to the pitch with the fervor and determination that they had in the second half of last week's match they can decide this one early. This page in the old rivalry will have a Rave Green ending.