The Seattle Sounders (7-5-4, 25 pts.) host the first place Vancouver Whitecaps (7-3-6, 27 pts.) this Thursday July 12th at Qwest Field in a key battle for playoff positioning.

The third-place Sounders lost their first two matches against Vancouver this season 1-0 on April 21st and 3-1 on May 12th. With a win against Vancouver this week and a Rochester tie or loss, Seattle can jump into first place in USL First Division.

The Vancouver match marks the return of three key players to the Sounders squad. Midfielder Danny Jackson, who missed the Sounders last four matches, has received his green card and has returned to the squad in training. Forward Nathan Knox, who also missed the last four matches, has recovered from an injured hamstring sustained against Carolina on June 15th. Midfielder Leighton O’Brien is also once again training with the team after suffering a concussion against the Portland Timbers on June 26th.

2005 USL Defender of the year Taylor Graham has rejoined the Sounders after playing the 2006 season with Red Bull New York of MLS but is questionable for Thursday’s match after suffering a head injury in the exhibition against the Tacoma Tide on Saturday night.

Defender Zach Scott, the team leader in minutes played, will be forced to miss the Vancouver match due to a one game suspension for his five yellow cards accumulated this season.

Forward Sebastian Le Toux has moved into the top ten in points and goals among USL First Division players after notching his fourth goal of the season in Seattle’s 1-0 victory against Rochester July 3. Goalkeeper Chris Eylander has notched two consecutive shutouts and currently is second in the league in saves with 65 and third in the league in shutouts with six.

The Vancouver Whitecaps boast a dangerous forward tandem of Eduardo Sebrango-Rodriguez and Joey Gjertsen. The 34-year-old Cuban-born forward Sebrango is the leading scorer in USL First Division with 7 goals in 16 matches. Gjertsen, a Tacoma native and former Evergreen State College soccer star, was the 2006 USL First Division MVP. Vancouver, the 2006 USL First Division champions, has not won in its last four league matches including a 2-0 defeat at Atlanta in their last match on July 7th. The Whitecaps have allowed the second least goals in USL First Division play, conceding just 12 goals in 16 matches. The Pacific Northwest rivals have combined to win the last two USL First Division championships. The Sounders prevailed in the 2005 championship before Vancouver grabbed the USL First Division title from Seattle this past season. Next week the Sounders will host Chivas USA of Major League Soccer in a third round U.S. Open Cup match on July 18th at Qwest field at 7 P.M. Seattle then travels to Rochester on July 21st to face the second place Rochester Raging Rhinos.