The Seattle Sounders take on Necaxa at Lumen Field on Sunday, with a spot in the Leagues Cup round of 32 up for stake.
Going into this match, the onus is primarily on the away team to secure all three points, although the home team is still competitive for a spot in the knockout round.
In their first-ever cup match on Saturday, Seattle Sounders overcame Minnesota United 2-0 after turning on the style late in the game.
Before the last three minutes of normal time, the score was tied. However, goals from Paul Rothrock and Jordan Morris gave Brian Schmetzer's team the victory.
That was the ideal reaction to the Rave Greens' lone league loss since early June—a 3-0 loss to Los Angeles FC in their most recent match.
In addition, the Seattle Sounders have won eight of their last ten games, showing that they are a strong team on both sides of the field with five clean sheets and eighteen goals scored.
Even though they now lead their Leagues Cup group, the hosts on Sunday must win this game to avoid getting dragged into any battle for survival.
Schmetzer's team was eliminated from the competition last year in the group stages after winning both of their games with 0 points; this time, they have the chance to complete a full circle by winning all of their points.
When the two clubs faced off at Allianz Field on Wednesday, Necaxa lost by a slim margin of 1-0 against Minnesota United.
Eduardo Fentanes's team dominated lengthy stretches of the game, but they were unable to score for the third time in five games after scoring at least one goal in 16 consecutive games.
Unsurprisingly, Necaxa's offensive problems have corresponded with a decline in performance; in their previous six games across all competitions, Los Rayos have only triumphed once.
With three points separating them from Minnesota in second place at the bottom of Group Six, a win on Sunday would be their only chance to advance to the next round.
The visitors will have work to do on their trip to Washington since they haven't performed well away from home lately, having lost five straight games since April.
Jordan Morris of the Seattle Sounders will be hoping to perform well once more. He has six goals in his past eight games.
Raul Ruidiaz, 34, is a serious doubt to play in this match after being carted off due to a potential injury against Minnesota United.
Leo Chu may be called up to the home team's starting lineup if Ruidiaz is judged unable to play.
After serving a one-match suspension, Bryan Garnica made his comeback to action last time out, and it is anticipated that the forward will continue to start for Necaxa.
