St. Louis City SC midfielder Jaziel Orozco is enjoying the battle for spots among his teammates as they try to find their rhythm in the MLS, with the Seattle Sounders next.
St. Louis is still chasing their first win in MLS this season after drawing 1-1 against Charlotte FC in their opener with a 2-0 loss to San Diego FC last time out.
It means they are still one of only two Western Conference teams yet to taste victory, sitting 14th in the standings.
And Orozco, who is playing his first full campaign with St. Louis, says the players are working hard to improve and get the best out of each other.
“Everyone is competing for a spot here,” Orozco said. “It’s healthy competition.
“We are all in this together: we are going to support each other, and we know that whoever steps up will perform at the maximum level.
“When I get there, I will deal with it. If it is someone else, I will support him immediately.”
Next: Under the lights @Energizer_Park #AllForCITY X @Energizer pic.twitter.com/UiVtOvMEmn
— St. Louis CITY SC (@stlCITYsc) March 3, 2026
Seattle, meanwhile, is in ninth place in the West and is trying to get back on track after losing 2-1 to Real Salt Lake last time out.
After winning their opener 2-0 against the Colorado Rapids, there have been positive results for the Sounders so far, including the return of Paul Arriola from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
He has played just 11 minutes so far in 2026, but he is happy to get back into the game and says he is fit enough to be in the starting line-up.
“I think the work for me was more on the training pitch, during the week, trying to prepare my body and keep finding the rhythm so that when I get the chance for more minutes, I’m ready to go,” Arriola said.
“I’m hungry, I’m worried. I’ve had some good conversations with our coach this week and we’re on the same page. I’m eager to come in and try to help the team.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
St. Louis City SC – Roman Burki
St. Louis kept four straight clean sheets to start the 2025 season, including a shutout win over Seattle on March 15, 2025.
Since then, they have kept just two clean sheets in 32 regular season games, and Roman Burki will be keen to improve on that record.
Seattle Sounders – Cristian Roldan
Cristian Roldan’s goal on Saturday ended his run of 32 consecutive MLS appearances (including playoffs) without scoring, a streak that dates back almost a year (previous goal: March 8, 2025).
It was the second-longest streak of Roldan’s MLS career after a 41-game stretch to start his career (March 2015 – July 2016).
Wherever we may go pic.twitter.com/VihkkNXMTY
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) March 4, 2026
MATCH PREDICTION: SEATTLE SOUNDERS WIN
Seattle has won five of its six all-time meetings with St. Louis, including a 4-1 home win the last time the teams met in May 2025.
St. Louis’ only result against the Sounders was a 1-0 home win last March, which is also the only time City held Seattle to under two goals in a game.
St. Louis is winless in their last five regular season home games dating back to August of last year (D3 L2), including a 1-1 draw against Charlotte FC to open this season at Energizer Park.
Their four home wins since the start of last season are the fewest among Western Conference teams (Sporting Kansas City).
Since the start of last season, Seattle has set a W5 D6 L9 record in away games in MLS (including playoffs), with an average of 1.2 points per game, while totaling twelve wins, five draws and one loss at home, for an average of 2.3 points per game.
OPTA CHANCE OF WINNING
St. Louis City SC – 24.6%
Draw – 23%
Seattle Sirens – 52.4%
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