(Photo credit: Jerome Miron)

FC Dallas will battle the surging Seattle Sounders on Wednesday in a key Western Conference match in Frisco, Texas.

The Toros (13-7-8, 47 points) have rocketed up the table since returning from the World Cup break, losing only three of their past 13 matches. One of those setbacks was their most recent outing, a 3-2 defeat at Charlotte on Saturday that snapped a six-match unbeaten streak (4-0-2).

Logan Farrington and Petar Musa found the net for the Toros to stake the visitors to a 2-0 lead that Dallas could not hold onto in wet and rainy conditions.

The Toros sit third in the West, one point ahead of San Jose and just four points behind Vancouver for the top spot in the conference. Musa leads Dallas with a franchise-record 19 goals while Farrington has 10, marking the first time since 2022 that two Toros players have reached double digits in goals in a single season.

'Everybody's contribution has mattered to the results,' FC Dallas coach Eric Quill said. 'Everybody has a stake in the game, and they're having fun. It's fun when everybody's contribution is helping propel the club.'

The Sounders (11-9-8, 41 points) begin the week seventh in the West, four points clear of eighth-place Colorado and five below San Jose in the race to host a first-round game. Seattle has responded to an eight-match losing streak with nine games unbeaten -- five straight draws followed by four wins in a row.

The Sounders won 3-0 at New England on Saturday, when Hassani Dotson, Dejan Joveljic and Paul Arriola scored while Andrew Thomas made five saves.

'In past years, the team has come together at the end of the year, and we've made a strong run,' Seattle coach Brian Schmetzer said. 'Our group has a lot of experienced players that understand that sometimes you go through those moments where you're not doing so well. But what really matters is when it comes to the playoffs you have to be playing at a very high level.'

Joveljic has scored four goals in five appearances since his trade from Sporting Kansas City, and Albert Rusnak, who has 14 assists on the season after picking up two on Saturday, is a key cog for the Sounders' attack.

Seattle won its first meeting with Dallas in April, a 2-1 decision in the Pacific Northwest. The Sounders have not lost to Dallas in their past five contests (4-0-1).

--Field Level Media