The Seattle Sounders are five points back of Real Salt Lake in the playoff picture with 12 matches remaining this season, so every match matters. Sunday, the Sounders find themselves pitted against Western Conference leaders FC Dallas, who are hanging onto their lead over the second-place Portland Timbers by five points in the conference.

Dallas has stumbled a bit in recent weeks, dropping its most recent match to San Jose 3-1. With that in mind, the streaky Timbers could pose a problem. Portland has just one loss in its last 18 matches, a 3-2 loss to LAFC three weeks ago. It's picked up wins in 12 of those 18, making it the hottest team in soccer right now. That means that starting on Sunday, FC Dallas needs to keep winning down the stretch to stay the No. 1 seed in the West, as Portland has showed no signs of slowing down.

The Sounders will try to rally behind Will Bruin, who leads the team with six goals. Longtime USMNT member Clint Dempsey leads the Sounders in shots. For FC Dallas, Roland Lamah has eight goals to lead the way, while Mauro Diaz has eight assists.

This match could have big implications in the West, as the Sounders fight for the No. 6 spot in the conference. If they sneak in, they could be a dangerous team in the postseason.

How to watch

  • Date: Sunday, Aug. 12
  • Time: 10 p.m. Eastern
  • Location: CenturyLink Field (Seattle, Washington)
  • TV: FS1
  • Stream: fuboTV (try for free)