The Seattle Sounders face off against the Chicago Fire on Tuesday (6:00 a.m. PT; ESPN, ESPN Deportes, TSN, 950 KJR AM) in Group B’s second match of the MLS is Back Tournament. Here are three matchups to watch, presented by Toyota.
Raúl Ruidíaz vs. Mauricio Pineda
Deployed as a defensive midfielder in the 2020 opener, Pineda will likely line up at center back on Tuesday, given the arrival of DP defensive midfielder Gastón Giménez and the injury to starting center back Johan Kapelhoff.
Pineda is undoubtedly talented, but there’s a massive jump from the NCAA to MLS – that contrast in quality becomes even more stark when facing off against a clever, relentless striker like Raúl Ruidíaz.