Preview: Minnesota United vs Seattle Sounders - prediction, team news, lineups

Two teams who currently find themselves in the upper echelons of the Western Conference standings will lock horns on Sunday as Minnesota United welcome Seattle Sounders to the Allianz Field in the latest round of Major League Soccer action.

The home side have been on a dry patch of late and will be aiming to snap a three-game losing run, while the visitors will set out in search of a fifth straight victory across all competitions.

Match preview

Off the back of a disappointing Leagues Cup campaign which saw them win just one of three matches and exit at the group stage, Minnesota fell short of the challenge posed by the Colorado Rapids in Sunday's encounter.

A second-half double from Darren Yapi left Eric Ramsay's men with a mountain to climb, and they just about fell short of drawing level after Tani Oluwaseyi pulled one back 17 minutes from time.

Having now lost three matches on the bounce, the Loons will be keen to avoid losing four in a row for the first time since June 2024, when they embarked on a six-game streak of defeats and nine-match winless run.

Minnesota's recent blip has seen them lose ground on Western Conference leaders San Diego, with five points now separating them from the summit heading into their upcoming encounter against in-form opponents.

Minnesota have struggled against the Sounders lately, coming out on top in just two of the most recent 10 meetings, which have also yielded seven defeats.

Sunday's hosts will need to tighten up at the back to stand any chance of stemming the tide in this fixture off the back of nine games without a clean sheet heading into this weekend's encounter.

Seattle Sounders returned from Club World Cup duty in low spirits, having suffered three straight defeats to extend their losing streak to five, but they have since turned a corner.

Brian Schmetzer's men beat Austin FC in their final outing of June to kick off a 10-game unbeaten streak during which they have won seven times after Monday's 4-0 demolition of MLS defending champions Los Angeles Galaxy.

Much of the Rave Greens' upturn in form has been down to their scintillating form in front of goal with a whopping 26 strikes in their last eight outings, although they have only managed two shut-outs in that time.

Currently on 41 points from 25 matches so far, Seattle are three points shy of Minnesota with a game in hand and could potentially move ahead in the standings with a win this weekend.

Aiming to win three straight matches on the road for the first time since November 2024, Sunday's visitors will head to Saint Paul with the wind in their sails before taking on Mexican outfit Puebla in the Leagues Cup quarter-finals four days later.

Minnesota United Major League Soccer form: