Coming off a 3-1 win over Antigua GFC in Concacaf Champions Cup on Wednesday, the Seattle Sounders open the MLS regular season at home against Charlotte FC. The Sounders will likely need to do some rotation, but are otherwise pretty much fully healthy.

Charlotte is coming off their best-ever season, finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference and allowing the second fewest goals in the league. During preseason they went 4-1-1, which concluded with consecutive wins against Austin FC and the Portland Timbers.

Here’s what you need to know:

Injury news

Sounders

OUT: Reed Baker-Whiting – Hamstring

Charlotte

OUT: Brandon Cambridge - Thigh; Jahlane Forbes - Thigh

QUESTIONABLE: Patrick Agyemang - Ankle

Sounder at Heart will receive a portion of all sales made using this link.

Opposition players to watch

• Wilfried Zaha: The 32-year-old winger was the big signing over the offseason. He’s a few years removed from his time starring with Crystal Palace, but at 32 still has to be considered a player who will likely cause all sorts of trouble for MLS defenders.
• Patrick Agyemang: Although listed as questionable, the Sounders will still need to prepare for the big forward’s ability to dominate games. The 24-year-old broke out in 2024, scoring 10 goals and earning his first United States national team cap during the offseason. He’s a big body but his speed and skill make him a very hard mark.

Stats to look smart

• While casual observers may have been a little surprised to see Kristijan Kahlina win MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2024, the reality is that the numbers made it a slam dunk. Based on post-shot xG, he prevented 10.5 goals more than expected. That’s three better than anyone else in the league and are a big reason Charlotte gave up the second fewest goals despite allowing the 11th most shots.
• It’s always a little silly to look too deeply into preseason and early season results, but the Sounders have now scored 22 goals in less than 700 minutes against opposing teams this year. In seven preseason matches a year ago, the Sounders scored just 11 goals.

Tactics to impress

• Dean Smith came to Charlotte last year and almost immediately starting remaking the team in a way that allowed for far more direct play than his predecessors. Although it didn’t lead to a ton more goals, only the New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union and D.C. United attempted more long balls per passing attempt than Charlotte. Expect them to send a lot of balls into the channels for Zaha and Ageyemang to chase.
• Much has been made this offseason of the Sounders’ switch to a three-centerback formation, but they have been building out that way for over a year. The bigger difference to watch is how high the outside wingbacks/fullbacks are getting and how much more aggressive one of the double-pivots are in joining the attack.

Kit matchup

Opposition research

Other reading

Pregame listening