Sounders host Real Salt Lake as both sides seek to end lengthy winless runs

The Match at Lumen Field

Seattle Sounders FC host Real Salt Lake on Wednesday at Lumen Field, with kickoff at 6:30 p.m. PT. The match will be broadcast on Apple TV, and can also be heard on 950 KJR AM and SiriusXM FC channel 188.

Both sides arrive in difficult form. Seattle sit 13th in the Western Conference with 29 points (7-9-8), while Real Salt Lake are 12th, also on 29 points (8-12-5). According to Sounder at Heart, Seattle have gone 13 matches without a win and RSL 12, making the meeting a must-win clash for both teams' fading playoff hopes.

In their last outing on September 19, the Sounders battled back for a 3-3 draw away to the Colorado Rapids, scoring twice late in the second half after trailing 3-1. Dejan Joveljić and Caden Clark got the goals, with Clark netting his first for Seattle since joining the club at the close of the summer transfer window.

Wednesday's fixture will be the 40th meeting between the clubs since Seattle joined MLS in 2009. Real Salt Lake hold the overall regular-season edge, 14-18-7, but Seattle has dominated at home, going 13-4-3 against RSL at Lumen Field.

Seattle's squad will also be affected by international call-ups: forward Joveljić (Serbia) has already left the team, while Snyder Brunell (United States U-20s) will depart following Saturday's match against Minnesota.

RSL's biggest threat

Injury-hit Real Salt Lake will lean heavily on 23-year-old Spanish striker Sergi Solans, who is enjoying a breakout campaign with nine goals and four assists while leading the line for head coach Pablo Mastroeni, both in RSL's usual 3-4-2-1 and in a back-four setup the team has recently experimented with. Solans has gone four games without scoring, partly due to a lack of service, a situation worsened by an injury to Diego Luna that has deprived RSL's attack of a key creator.

Solans stands out for his intelligent off-ball movement, his ability to find pockets of space between opposing lines, and well-timed runs in behind defenses. His nine goals have come from an expected-goals tally of 9.84; he averages 2.35 shots and 0.51 xG per 90 minutes, receives 2.72 long passes per 90, and records 3.50 touches in the penalty area per 90. Of his last 27 goals across all competitions, 25 have come from inside the box. He also contributes defensively, with RSL ranking ninth in MLS for PPDA and Solans posting 1.67 counter-pressing recoveries and 0.99 final-third regains per 90.

A native of Lleida, Spain, Solans was still playing college soccer at UCLA last season. After a 4-1 friendly win over Championship side Burnley in July, in which Solans scored twice and added an assist, Mastroeni praised the young forward's rapid rise and his ability to handle the demanding transition from college soccer straight into an MLS campaign.