Ten Things To Know: Colorado Rapids vs. Seattle Sounders

Saturday, October 31, 2020

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Our Rapids play-by-play announcer, Richard Fleming, is renowned for being detailed in his preparation when calling MLS games, and he is offering us a little insight into some of his pregame notes.

Find below some things you may find useful ahead of Sunday's final home game of the regular season, against Seattle Sounders FC. We have coverage on Altitude and AltitudeNOW from 6.30pm.

1. If the Rapids win their final three games, they would finish the regular season with 28 points from 18 games, at 1.55 points per game. See below the various outcomes.
   W-L-D  PPG
   3-0-0 = 1.55
   2-0-1 = 1.44
   2-1-0 = 1.38
   1-0-2 = 1.33
   1-1-1 = 1.27
   1-2-0 = 1.22
   0-0-3 = 1.22
   0-1-2 = 1.16
   0-2-1 = 1.11
   0-3-0 = 1.05
2. Sounders’ goalkeeper Stefan Frei is set for his 300th start/appearance in MLS. He made his debut for Toronto on 3/21/2009 in a 3-2 win at Kansas City Wizards. Teammates included former Rapids pair Marvell Wynne and Sam Cronin. KC included Rapids alum Claudio Lopez, Michael Harrington, and Herculez Gomez.
3. Referee for Sunday's game is Ismir Pekmic, for what will be only his second game as the center referee in MLS. His debut came last Saturday for the Chicago Fire vs. NYRB game.
4. Seattle has given up 18 goals in 19 games, the fewest in the Western Conference. Only Columbus Crew SC (17) has conceded fewer in all of MLS.
5. The last time these teams met, the Rapids defeated the Sounders 2-0 at DICK'S Sporting Goods Park on September 7, 2019, with both goals from Andre Shinyashiki.
6. Seattle were hit by international absences and were only able to list four players on the bench. Among them was Shandon Hopeau who made his MLS debut as a substitute. He signed from Sounders 2 on a short-term deal as the senior side qualified for Extreme Hardship (when a club has less than 14 outfield players or has fewer than two goalkeepers available).
7. The Rapids are 6-18-2 all-time versus the Sounders. That includes a 4-7-1 record at home. The 2-0 win last year halted a run of five defeats in a row to Brian Schmetzer's side.
8. Seattle include former Rapids homegrown defender Shane O'Neill in their squad. Despite spending two years at Orlando City, he has yet to face his old club. His last appearance at DSGP came in the colors of Colorado, against New York City, on March 21, 2015.
9. This will be one of nine games (two cancelled due to Covid-19 cases) across MLS on Sunday, as regular season games spill over into November for the first time in league history.
10. These two teams have met in November. They faced one another in the 2016 Western Conference Championship, with eventual MLS Cup champions Seattle winning 3-1 on aggregate.