Sounders will host Minnesota United in 2021 MLS opener
Still no official word on whether or not fans will be allowed to attend.
It will be a rematch of the wild 2020 Western Conference finals for the Seattle Sounders, as they open up the 2021 season on April 16.
MLS finally announced the opening home matches ahead of the start of the season, the latest start to the season since at least 2004. The Sounders and Minnesota United will renew acquaintances, after playing one of the most dramatic playoff matches in recent memory. The match will be nationally broadcast on FS1.
Sounders fans won’t need much of a refresher on that last matchup, when the Sounders overcame a late 2-0 deficit to win 3-2. The Sounders scored three goals in 20 minutes to secure their fourth trip to MLS Cup, where they fell to the Columbus Crew 3-0.
The Sounders are 6-0-1 all-time against Minnesota United and 7-5-0 in MLS openers at home.
MLS had originally targeted a start date of early March, but pushed the season back to April 3 due to the renegotiation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The league executed a Force Majeure clause in December, which threatened the season had the players and owners not come to agreement.
The start of the season was pushed back an additional two weeks to April 17 due to the delay, and to allow for additional vaccinations, which would potentially allow teams to start allowing fans to attend games.
Although there are signs it could change, there has not yet been any indication when the Sounders will start allowing fans into Lumen Field. They have, however, started surveying fans about their interest level in returning to the stadium.
The remainder of the schedule will be released in the coming weeks, per a MLS release.