The Seattle Sounders will be without their captain when they travel to Kansas City, Kan. to face Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night.

Goalkeeper Stefan Frei was injured late in second-half stoppage time in a 1-1 draw with the visiting Columbus Crew last Sunday and is in the league’s concussion protocol.

Andrew Thomas will start for Frei as the fifth-place Sounders (8-6-6, 30 points) attempt to move up the Western Conference standings.

Sporting KC (6-10-5, 23 points) are in 11th place, three points out of a playoff spot.

“We all know the risk that we run when we step on the field,” Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas said. “It comes with the job. Stef is a symbol of what we’re all supposed to be. He puts his body on the line for the team, and he would do it again if the play was there.”

Saturday will mark the Sounders’ first road game since June 8 at Vancouver, as Seattle played three FIFA Club World Cup matches at home, plus MLS games against Austin FC (a 2-0 victory) and Columbus.

“It’s always tough to go (to Kansas City) in the summer, especially. It’s gonna be hot, it’s gonna be humid,” Sounders forward Jordan Morris said. “They started off the season a little bit rough, but they’ve turned things around.”

This will be the first time since the Sounders joined MLS in 2009 that they’ll face Sporting KC without Peter Vermes on the hosts’ sideline. Vermes, who started coaching that season, was let go earlier this year.

Thanks to forward Dejan Joveljic, who is tied for fourth in the Golden Boot race with 12 goals, Kansas City is 6-5-4 under interim coach Kerry Zavagnin.

Joveljic opened the scoring in a 2-1 victory July 4 at Colorado, extending SKC’s unbeaten streak to three matches (2-0-1).

“Each week we’ve taken a few steps forward,” Zavagnin said, “and that’s put us in a better position than we were a few months ago.”

–Field Level Media