The Seattle Sounders will play their first road match of the 2015 MLS season when they travel to Frisco, TX on Saturday to face FC Dallas. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:30 pm EST. Dallas enters this match as the only team in MLS with maximum points possible after three matches, nine. The Sounders are coming off their first defeat of the season, a 3-2 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes.

The last time these two teams played each other, it was in the Western Conference semi-finals. Both legs of the home and home series ended a tie, but the Sounders advanced due to the new away goal that was implemented last season.

Dallas players surely have that in the back of their mind, “Everyone knows in the back of their head that this was the team that knocked us out of the playoffs last year,” Dallas captain Matt Hedges said. “So there’s a little extra motivation, a little extra energy this week in training.”

The Sounders will be playing without two of the starters for this match. Midfielder Marco Pappa will be away on international duty while forward Clint Dempsey will not be available due to an injury he suffered while with the United States Men’s national team. It is also unknown whether midfielder Osvaldo Alonso will be ready to come back from offseason surgery.

Dallas will be without six of their players in Kyle Bekker, Jesse Gonzalez, Atiba Harris, Moises Hernandez, Blas Perez and Je-Vaugh Watson. Perez may be the biggest absence for Dallas has he has scored three goals so far in three games and is tied for the league lead with Dempsey and Octavio Rivero of the Vancouver Whitecaps.

The position that will be must watched from Sounders fans will be the play of center back Brad Evans. In the Sounders loss to the Earthquakes, he was ridiculed harshly by the Rave Green supporters for all three goals. Evans has been a man of many positions and playing center back seems to be the hardest one for him to adjust to playing.

With Dempsey and Pappa out, you can expect forward/midfielder Lamar Neagle to slide up top and pair with Obafemi Martins as they did in their Tuesday night international friendly.  You may also see Chad Barrett get his first start of the season either as forward or midfielder. One could expect to see one of the newer Sounders, perhaps from Seattle Sounders 2 (S2), get the start. It would be no surprise if Aaron Kovar or Cristian Roldan got the start as the other midfielder.

In the end, this will come down to defense and the goalkeepers. Dallas ‘keeper Chris Seitz has been playing out of his mind and he knows he has to play as such with Dan Kennedy on the bench. Stefan Frei has been solid and should not have to worry about losing his spot to Troy Perkins anytime soon.  Since the last four games last season and into the playoffs, Frei has been one of the best ‘keepers in the league.

If you look at the two team’s matches during the playoffs this will be a low scoring affair. If you look at their 2014 matchups during the season, it will be a high scoring affair. Let’s lean towards a low scoring affair with the Rave Green walking away with their first road victory of the season and Evans redeeming himself at the center back position.