SOUNDERS 1, DYNAMO 0: Paul Rothrock scored his fourth goal of the season, putting away a poor clearance 22nd minute.

Seattle's Own 🫡

Paul Rothrock gives us the early 1-0 lead! pic.twitter.com/2BMrjNvIJX
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) September 29, 2024

LINEUPS: The Sounders go with the exact same lineup that tied the San Jose Earthquakes 2-2 in the previous game with the only changes to the roster being Danny Musovski and Dylan Teves replacing Raúl Ruidíaz and Léo Chú on the bench.

The Seattle Sounders have a chance to not only clinch a playoff spot with a win against the Houston Dynamo today, but also send a bit of a message by beating a Top 5 team in the Western Conference for the first time in MLS play this season. The Sounders are currently 0-4-4 against those teams, including a 2-2 tie with the Dynamo earlier this year.

The Dynamo are very similar to the Sounders in that they defend well and like to have the ball, but struggle to turn that into goals. The Dynamo lead MLS with an average of 59.6% possession, and have allowed the second fewest goals (33) while scoring more than just two Western Conference teams (43).

The Sounders should be decisive favorites, though, in no small part because the Dynamo have never won in 16 trips to Lumen Field. That includes six straight wins by the Sounders in Seattle.

Notes

The Sounders hold an overall advantage of 15-5-7 against the Dynamo, all time.
Even if the Sounders don’t win, they can still clinch a playoff spot with a draw if FC Dallas drops points against Orlando City. They can also clinch with a loss if Dallas loses and Austin FC fails to win their game.
Jordan Morris has already set a career high for all-competition goals (17) and is now within range of becoming the first Sounders player to reach 20 goals.
Román Torres will be honored as the latest Sounders Legend in a pregame ceremony.