Let’s try this again: Seattle Sounders Part Deux

Whether you are taking the superstitious route of wearing the exact same clothes and eating an identical meal before play between the Philadelphia Union and Seattle Sounders resumes tonight or not, there will be a few wrinkles to tonight’s action at Subaru Park.

The match will start in the 6th minute and the lineups will mostly be the same. The Union will be missing Markus Anderson (out with a quad injury) and could be also without Andre Blake (knee) and Damion Lowe (ankle). Matt Real is also no longer with the team (loaned out to Colorado Springs Switchbacks) so he’ll be replaced in the 20 by Julian Carranza while Leon Flach is expected to replace Anderson on the game-day roster.

If Lowe isn’t able to go Jakob Glesnes would slot in but if Blake isn’t able to go it would mean burning Union II goalkeeper Andrew Rick’s fourth and final short-term loan for the season to serve as the backup to Oliver Semmle.

Seattle center back Xavier Arreaga was traded to New England last week so he will be replaced in the lineup by the visitors and reserve Danny Musovski is questionable to return to the game-day roster.

“There’s no doubt about it, I think it’s a unique situation for both teams,” Union head coach Jim Curtin said yesterday. “For Seattle and us.”

One other change is that an entirely new referee crew will be officiating the game. The previous game on March 9 pre-dated the end of the referee lockout.

The game will also mark the completion of the Union’s regular season matches against the Western Conference.

Coming off their first loss to Real Salt Lake at home on Saturday, the Union will look to regain momentum as every game from here on out will carry even more weight. The Union are currently in 7th place in the East but have two games in hand against every team in second through sixth place and three games in hand with conference leader Inter Miami. Seattle has struggled with just 1 win and three draws in 9 games. The have four losses and a draw on the road.

“It’s about having a good response against a Seattle team that has a ton of experience, has a ton of winners in their group, is led by a great coach and Brian Schmetzer and has been, I think, really, really unlucky this year,” Curtin said.

The match will resume at 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast live on MLS Season Pass.