Seattle seeks first win as it hosts Montreal (Mar 30, 2018)
Goals as well as wins have been hard to come by for the Seattle Sounders so far in MLS this year.
The Sounders look to break through on both fronts against the Montreal Impact on Saturday night at CenturyLink Field.
After seeing a 15-game unbeaten run at home end with a season-opening 1-0 loss to expansion Los Angeles FC in Week 1, the Sounders lost on aggregate in two CONCACAF Champions League matches before falling 3-0 to FC Dallas on March 18.
It's the second 0-2 start in three years for Seattle, which along with defending MLS Cup champion Toronto FC has yet to find the back of the net.
"Well, it's not good enough, number one," Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer told the Seattle Times. "We need to play better."
That could be difficult against Montreal (1-2-0). Clint Dempsey, who led the club with 12 goals last season, was sent off with a red card in the 37th minute against Dallas and will miss Saturday's contest.
The Sounders could have midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro (foot) and Will Bruin (concussion) available for selection.
Montreal heads to the Pacific Northwest after defeating Toronto, 1-0, on March 17 in Quebec. Jeisson Vargas scored the lone goal off an assist from Ignacio Piatti, who has points in each of the Impact's first three matches.
"As we attack we must always know where Piatti is on the field because he's usually the first pass, the first outlet. They're a very good counterattacking team, a good transition team," Schmetzer told the team's official website.
Montreal has dropped five straight on the road, equaling the second-longest slide in club history.
With injuries to defenders Zakaria Diallo (ruptured Achilles tendon) and Kyle Fisher (leg), the Impact signed center back Rudy Camacho to a four-year deal after completing his transfer from Belgian first-division side Waasland-Beveren.
The 27-year-old Camacho could make his debut on Saturday.
"(Coach) Remi Garde called me directly to see if I was interested," Camacho told the Montreal Gazette. "I had options in Europe. I thought it over. There's my family, there's football. It's another adventure. There's the quality of life. Everything plays into it. But I think I made the right decision and I'll try to show that on the field."
Montreal is 3-2-1 all time against Seattle.
