Sounders-FC Dallas Preview

International duty will leave FC Dallas short-handed for their attempt to secure the best start in franchise history and gain a little revenge for last season's playoff defeat to Seattle.

The Sounders are expected to have just one player outside the United States until the end of the month but likely won't have Clint Dempsey for at least two games beginning Saturday night.

FC Dallas is slated to be without at least five players during FIFA's window for international matches that closes Tuesday. The most notable is Blas Perez, who has three of the team's six goals.

Perez didn't score in the latest game, a 2-0 victory at Philadelphia last Saturday that allowed Dallas to match its 3-0-0 start from 1998. Chris Seitz got the clean sheet against his former club and has allowed one goal in the three contests.

The club gave up one goal to Seattle in its two playoff games in November, but that lone score allowed the Sounders to advance to the Western Conference finals because it came in Dallas.

"We played them pretty good last year," defender Zach Loyd told the league's official website. "It was just unfortunate that we were on the other end of the stick. But for us, it's a new season, our house. We want three points."

The Sounders, the Supporters' Shield winners, fell short of their first MLS title. They've split two games this season, both at home, winning 3-0 over New England on March 8 and falling 3-2 to San Jose on March 14.

Seattle rallied for a 2-all draw with Club Tijuana in a friendly Tuesday.

Dempsey, who scored his third goal of the season 17 seconds into the Earthquakes game, is expected to sit out the next two to three weeks. The star forward strained his right hamstring Monday while training with the U.S. national team in Switzerland.

Seattle also won't have midfielder Marco Pappa, who is with the Guatemalan national team, but Osvaldo Alonso (groin), Tyrone Mears (hamstring) or Chad Marshall (undisclosed) could be available.

"It shouldn't affect the match much at all, because I think both teams pride themselves on their depth and the competition for places," coach Sigi Schmid said. "It's up to the guys who are on the field to do the business."

Seattle took two of three regular-season matchups with FC Dallas last year and split two road meetings. Dempsey and Lamar Neagle scored two goals apiece in the season series while Michel and David Texeira had three each for Dallas.