Injuries to Kelvin Leerdam and Jordan McCrary have Cristian Roldan making a rare start at the right back position for the Sounders in their Saturday night clash against the Chicago Fire at CenturyLink Field.
This is one of those games the Sounders really have to come away victorious in if they hope to position themselves for a second half run at the playoffs; a home contest against the Chicago Fire on Saturday night, with Cristian Roldan making a suprising shift over to right back.
Kelvin Leerdam is still out with a hamstring strain while Jordan McCrary has a foot problem he still isn’t 100 percent comfortable changing direction with. The last thing the team wants is for a young, developing player like McCrary to start hesitating every time he wants to plant his foot — hence, the shift of Roldan to the right back spot. Roldan’s speed and defensive abilities should make for a relatively smooth transtition to a position he’s played twice previously in his MLS career.
The lack of production from the fullback spots has plagued the Sounders all season with the departure of Joevin Jones and the infrequent appearances by Leerdam due to injury and a prior red card.
The Sounders are otherwise relatively healthy with Will Bruin starting up top in the 4-2-3-1 formation, with Clint Dempsey, Harry Shipp and Victor Rodriguez in the midfield. Shipp has earned the start with some strong play of late, while Nocolas Lodeiro drops back to Roldan’s defensive midfield spot — a position Lodeiro has proven an offensive threat from in the past.
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SOUNDERS (3-8-2)
GK Stefan Frei
LB Nouhou
CB Kim Kee-hee
CB Chad Marshall
RB Cristian Roldan
MF Nicolas Lodeiro
MF Osvaldo Alonso
MF Harry Shipp
MF Clint Dempsey
MF Victor Rodriguez
FW Will Bruin