Austin FC to meet the top team in the West when it travels to Seattle

You couldn’t blame Austin FC if it placed some of its players in protective shells leading up to Wednesday’s game at Seattle.

With four starters out due to injury or international duty and midfielder Rodney Redes likely unavailable — the MLS disciplinary report wasn’t released as of Tuesday afternoon, but general soccer rules usually dictate he'd receive a one-game suspension after receiving two yellow cards in Saturday’s 1-0 loss to FC Dallas — El Tree now has a dangerously thin roster at the worst possible time.

Austin FC (2-5-4, 10 points) is in the midst of a stretch where it's playing nine times in 29 days, and though the majority of those matches are at home, it makes its longest road trip of the season to face the Sounders.

Welcome to MLS, where anything is possible

In other less-than-ideal news, Seattle (7-3-2, 23 points) also leads the Western Conference — though it has played two more matches than LAFC — and generally has one of the more raucous home environments in the MLS.

“It’s a great place to play, and it will be a great challenge,” said Austin FC coach Josh Wolff, whose team sits in 12th place in the West. “To stay attached to the playoff line, we have to get wins. … It’s important to gather points over these next couple of games. It’s a long season and there’s a lot of games, but the urgency is always there.”

While all of the factors — including El Tree not having won in eight straight league matches — leading into Wednesday’s game don’t exactly spell a likely win for El Tree, it is the MLS, where anything can and will happen.

The Sounders suffered a bewildering home loss to last-place Sporting Kansas City 11 days ago, and to Austin FC’s credit, it has played well the last three weeks.

“The performances we’ve been building have been good, but we just haven’t been able to turn those into results,” said goalkeeper Brad Stuver, who has played every minute for the club this season. “We’re on limited rest and have injuries, but our guys are diligent, creative and getting recovered. … The guys who are playing right now are playing well and giving us good minutes.”

Julio Cascante's return has lifted the defense

El Tree’s defense has been the team’s bright spot the entire season, and with the recent return of Julio Cascante, Wolff was able to employ three center backs, along with Alex Ring and Leo Väisänen, against FC Dallas.

The trio played well, and outside backs Adam Lundqvist, Jon Gallagher and Nick Lima have all displayed quality in whatever role they’ve been asked to fill.

“I’ve only had two-or-less saves the last three games, so that means we’re limiting the amount of chances we’re giving up,” said Stuver, who also noted he appreciated the three-center-back lineup. “They all have a good relationship with each other and have all come into their own. They have good chemistry together and are three of the best center backs with the ball at their feet. That gives us confidence and calm playing out of the back and playing through pressure.”

El Tree's Finnish connection

Väisänen has arguably been the team’s MVP through the first 11 games of the season and the jewel signing of the offseason. Part of his smooth transition to the MLS from the Swedish league has been the fact that Ring, a fellow center back, also is from Finland — they’re both from Helsinki — and provides someone to whom he can immediately relate.

“They speak the language in the locker room and on the field, and sometimes they’re watching Scandinavian games in the training facility,” Wolff said. “There’s some things that make them feel like they’re at home.”

When Cascante went out with an injury in the first game of the season and Zan Kolmanic suffered an ACL tear a few weeks later, the two Finnish players became the rock of a backline that has been nothing less than stout.

“Alex is a good student of the game, and both of them have done a good job on the backline with their passing, calmness and ability to diffuse situations,” Wolff said. “In competing, dueling and low-block defending they’re both very astute on, and certainly their demeanor is something that bleeds through the group. It’s a good, calming effect when they have the ball.”

Forward Maxi Urruti, who is one of three Argentinians on the team, said he can see the positive influence Ring and Väisänen have on each other.

“It’s very important for them to have that connection,” Urruti said. “On the field, they can speak Finnish, and it’s similar for me when I play with (Sebastián Driussi) and (Emiliano Rigoni) since we’re all from Argentina. It’s important to have someone to relate to on and off the field. … There’s a lot of languages spoken in the locker room, but that’s good for the team.”

What to expect and hope for?

Urruti, Lima and midfielder Ethan Finlay will probably start, and don’t be surprised if midfielder Sofiane Djeffal or defender Aleksandar Radovanovic do, either.

Like every road match in the MLS, a tie in Seattle would be very acceptable for El Tree.

Seattle is usually one of the best home sides in the league, so coming back to Austin with a point should be considered a success.

Wednesday's match

Austin FC (2-5-4, 10 points) at Seattle Sounders (7-3-2, 23 points), 9:30 p.m., Apple TV

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin FC carries eight-game league winless streak into Seattle trip