SOCCER: Sounders ready for homecoming, rematch with St. Louis City

St. Louis City and the Seattle Sounders met six weeks ago, but St. Louis coach Yoann Damet isn't focusing much on that match as the clubs are set to square off Saturday in Seattle.

"It feels like it was months ago, to be honest," Damet said of St. Louis' 1-0 defeat. "That's how much we've played since then, and that's how much we've improved, I think, as well.

"I'm not putting too much into that game thinking it's going to be the same game. It's going to be completely different at their place."

Seattle (4-1-1, 13 points) won 1-0 at St. Louis on March 7 as Kalani Kossa-Rienzi scored the lone goal in the 47th minute. The Sounders' Andrew Thomas made five saves in posting the clean sheet.

This will be the Sounders' first MLS home match since the season opener. They went 3-1-1 on a five-game trip while a grass surface was being installed at Lumen Field in anticipation of this summer's FIFA World Cup.

The Sounders got a chance to play on the new surface Wednesday, a 3-1 victory against Tigres UANL in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Despite the outcome, the Sounders were eliminated from the competition due to the away-goals tiebreaker.

As for the field?

"I think all the players liked it. I definitely liked it. It played really well," Sounders forward Danny Musovski said. "I feel like the ball was moving smoother than it usually does, and I think it feels better on our bodies as well."

Midfielder Paul Rothrock leads the Sounders with three goals, and forward Jesus Ferreira has recorded four assists.

St. Louis (1-3-3, 6 points) is 1-0-2 over its past three league matches following a three-game losing streak. St. Louis played to a 1-1 draw last Saturday at FC Dallas as defender Timo Baumgartl scored the equalizer in the 61st minute and goalkeeper Roman Burki made two saves.

St. Louis also had a midweek match, defeating FC Tulsa of the USL Championship 4-0 to reach the Round of 16 in the U.S. Open Cup. Marcel Hartel scored the opening goal for St. Louis in that match and leads the team in league play with two tallies.

-Field Level Media/Reuters