• Sounders 2 (5W, 5D, 17L) currently sits in 16^th place in the USL Western Conference, 13 places and 33 points behind Rising in 3^rd. They have already been eliminated from playoff contention.
• The two teams last met on Friday July 20 in the Valley, with Rising taking all 3 points thanks to a 56^th minute right-footed Chris Cortez chip over the Sounders 2 keeper who had raced out of his penalty area.
• Since that game, Sounders 2 has registered 2 wins, 3 draws, and 4 losses. However, all 4 losses have been recorded on the road.

• As a result, Sounders 2 come into tonight’s match on the back of a 5-game unbeaten home run. Home wins against LV Lights (3-0) and San Antonio (3-2) have been followed by 3 draws in 8 days against St Louis (1-1), Orange County (1-1) and Tulsa Roughnecks (4-4).
• The Tulsa point was particularly impressive as Sounders 2 had trailed 4-1 with only 34 minutes of regulation time remaining. 19-year-old Hawaii native Shandon Hopeau proved to be the hero with a 94^th minute equalizing shot that deflected off the Roughnecks’ keeper – his second goal in 24 appearances this season, 18 of them as a starter.
• Hopeau’s 2 goals position him joint 4^th in Sounders 2’s list of scorers this season, illustrating the team’s difficulty in front of goal.
• In fact, Sounders 2 has failed to find the net on 10 occasions, including 3 games at home in Cheney Stadium, Tacoma. They last failed to find the net at home on July 5 against Swope.
• Their shot conversion rate is 14% compared to Rising’s 16%, which positions Sounders 2 joint 18^th in USL. However, their total shot count to date is 37% less than Rising’s (269 compared to 427).

• Mexican forward David Estrada has accounted for 10 of Sounders 2’s goals this season. He should have been on 11, but his 76^th minute penalty was saved by Josh Cohen in the 3-0 defeat at Sacramento last Saturday.  Estrada joined Sounders 2 in the close season from Charlotte Independence and has made the most appearances for the club this season (26 out of a maximum 27).
• Young Cameroon forward Felix Chenkham (4 goals in 11 games) is Sounders 2’s second top scorer, but he has returned to their parent club while he recovers from surgery for a herniated disc.
• Henry Wingo has contributed 3 goals in 2018. Currently on loan from Sounders, who he joined straight out of college, the 22-year-old scored twice in the August 11 home win against San Antonio, and once in the 4-4 draw with Tulsa on September 5.  His brace against San Antonio earned him a place in USL Team of the Week.
• Another forward to look out for is Alfonso Ocampo-Chaves. The 16-year-old from Fresno is one of 3 players to join Sounders Academy from Merced Soccer Academy.  A top prospect for club and country, Ocampo-Chaves has clocked up 3 appearances for Sounders 2 this season, including a starting place against Sacramento last Saturday.  He signed a full-time professional contract for Sounders 2’s parent club in April.

• Sounders 2 are least likely to score during the middle 15 minutes of the first half, or the first 15 minutes of the second.
• Only 3 USL teams have conceded more goals than Sounders 2’s 57 goals so far this season (Richmond, Toronto, and Tulsa).
• They are most likely to concede in the first 15 minutes of the second half.

• Goalkeeping duties have been shared by 4 players – Calle Brown, Bryan Meredith, Sam Fowler and Jacob Castro.
• Calle Brown has conceded 33 goals in 17 games, and kept the team’s only clean sheets – away to the Switchbacks, and at home to LV Lights. He has a 61.6% has a save success rate this season, and has played in the last 2 games.
• Bryan Meredith has conceded 14 goals in 7 matches for Sounders 2 this season, and has a 56.3% save success rate. His last appearance was the 1-1 draw at home to OC on September 2.
• Rookie Sam Fowler has made 2 appearances this season.
• Midfielder Ray Saari will miss tonight’s game, having left Sounders 2 on Thursday. Out through injury since the 2-1 home defeat against Reno on July 8, he had previously contributed 2 goals and 2 assists in 12 appearances this season.
• Sounders 2 have collected 5 red cards in 2018, 4 of them second yellow-card offenses. However, only one sending-off has occurred at Cheney Stadium. That dubious honor is held by forward David Olsen, who picked up two yellows in 3 crazy minutes against San Antonio.  He was clearly a man on a mission, as he actually committed 3 fouls in those 3 minutes!
• Sounders 2’s 54 cautions this season is the 7^th highest in USL.
• Expect a 4-2-3-1 formation tonight. It’s been used by Sounders 2 in 21 of their 26 USL games this season.
• Tonight’s game will also probably be the last time Rising play Sounders 2. The club is currently inviting fans to submit a new team name for next season!

From the Ashes Prediction:  Rising to suffer the same fate as Orange County and drop a surprising 2 points at Cheney Stadium.