Brian Schmetzer is looking for the Seattle Sounders to return to putting in "complete" performances ahead of Saturday's Cascadia derby matchup with the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Seattle sit fifth in the Western Conference with four games of the regular season remaining, 11 adrift of Vancouver, who are second and just a point behind leaders San Diego FC.

But the Sounders have endured a drop-off lately, suffering back-to-back defeats to Inter Miami and Austin FC following a run of one defeat in 16 games after the Club World Cup.  

"Each game is a little different. I would say that we haven't played a complete game, and that's the thing that bothers me most," Schmetzer said.

"The consistency that we had there for a while... that's gone missing, so that's what we're trying to fix."

Asked about the challenge posed by Vancouver, who beat Sporting KC 2-0 last weekend before drawing 1-1 with the Portland Timbers on Wednesday, despite a minor injury sidelining Thomas Muller, Schmetzer said: "Jesper Sorensen has done a great job. 

"He's got this team going again, and they started like a house on fire. They had a little mid-season lull, but then they had their big signing and it's helped."

Muller could be primed to return this weekend after being pictured back in training this week, and former Bayern Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge believes the Germany icon made the correct decision in moving to Canada. 

"He's gaining new experiences in North America, broadening his horizons, perfecting another language, and getting to know a new culture," Rummenigge said. 

"He could prepare himself there to some extent for a possible coaching job afterwards."

Muller scored a hat-trick on his most recent outing in MLS, as Vancouver trounced the Philadelphia Union 7-0 two weeks ago.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Seattle Sounders – Georgi Minoungou 

Minoungou scored 36 seconds after entering the match at half-time during Seattle's 2-1 loss to Austin last Sunday. 

The only other MLS player to score as a substitute within the first minute of the second half over the last 15 seasons was Ariel Lassiter, for the Houston Dynamo against Los Angeles FC in October 2020.

That was Minoungou's first goal of the MLS campaign, though he has had chances totalling 2.52 expected goals (xG). Can he build on that strike here?

Vancouver Whitecaps – Sebastian Berhalter 

Berhalter recorded his seventh assist from a set-piece in 2025 in midweek, the most in MLS this year and the most ever by a Whitecaps player in a single MLS regular season.

Over the last 10 seasons, the only MLS player with more such assists in a campaign is Jack Price (eight for the Colorado Rapids in 2021 and 10 in 2019).

MATCH PREDICTION – SEATTLE SOUNDERS WIN

Vancouver notched a 3-0 home win over Seattle in June, tied for its largest win over the Sounders in MLS play. 

The Whitecaps are now looking to beat the Sounders on multiple occasions in a single year for the third time in the clubs' MLS eras, having done so in 2013 and 2014.

The visitors have also kept seven clean sheets on the road in 2025, their single-season record in MLS and the most in the competition this season. 

Another shutout against Seattle would bring them tied for the second-most road clean sheets in a single MLS campaign, one behind the LA Galaxy's 2010 record of nine.

Seattle, however, will be smarting after losing back-to-back games for the second time in 2025 (also doing so in June).

The Sounders have not lost three straight MLS games (including playoffs) since a three-match losing streak in July 2022, and home advantage is enough to make them favourites with the Opta supercomputer.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Seattle Sounders – 52%

Vancouver Whitecaps – 23.5%

Draw – 24.5%