SEATTLE, WA — The Seattle Seawolves have announced their matchday roster for Sunday’s massive Western Conference showdown against the undefeated Chicago Hounds at Starfire Stadium.
The match carries major playoff implications as the top two teams in the Major League Rugby standings battle for postseason positioning. Chicago enters the weekend at 7-0 with a league-best +152 point differential and has already secured a playoff berth. Seattle currently sits second in the standings at 4-3 with 21 competition points and remains in position for a potential home playoff match. California Legion sits just two points behind Seattle entering the final weekend of the regular season.
The Seawolves enter the match with momentum after winning three of their last four matches, including victories over Old Glory DC, the New England Free Jacks, and Anthem RC. Seattle’s attack continues to be led by two of Major League Rugby’s most productive players in Davy Coetzer and Divan Rossouw. Coetzer currently leads MLR in points scored this season, while Rossouw leads the league in meters made.
Seattle also receives a major boost with Ezekiel Lindenmuth returning to the pitch after missing the last three matches.
A major key for Seattle will be slowing Chicago’s fast starts. Throughout the season, the Hounds have consistently built early leads through territorial kicking, structured phase attack, and breakdown pressure. Chicago has scored 336 points this season while allowing only 184, both among the strongest marks in Major League Rugby.
The Seawolves will look to counter through physical defense, improved discipline, and transition attack led by Duncan Matthews and Divan Rossouw in open space.
One of the biggest matchups to watch comes in the midfield, where former Seawolves back Tavite Lopeti has been named at outside center for Chicago and is set to face Seattle’s Dan Kriel in a physical battle through the #13 channel. There is also familiarity on the coaching side, with Chicago Head Coach Chris Latham previously coaching within the Seawolves organization.
Fans unable to travel to Chicago are encouraged to attend the official Seattle Seawolves Away Match Viewing Party at Moss Bay Hall in Kirkland. Supporters will be able to watch the match alongside fellow Seawolves fans with food, drinks, and a full matchday atmosphere as Seattle fights for playoff positioning and attempts to hand Chicago its first loss of the season.
Seattle Seawolves: 1 Ezekiel Lindenmuth, 2 Sean McNulty, 3 Mason Pedersen, 4 Callum Botchar, 5 Rhyno Herbst, 6 Marno Redelinghuys (vc), 7 Patrick Ryan, 8 Riekert Hattingh (c), 9 André Warner, 10 Davy Coetzer, 11 JP Smith, 12 Dan Kriel, 13 Divan Rossouw, 14 Ina Futi, 15 Duncan Matthews.
Impact Players: 16 Dewald Kotze, 17 LaRome White, 18 Dewald Donald, 19 Liki Chan-Tung, 20 Tiai Vavao, 21 Nick Boyer, 22 Dorian Jones, 23 Nolan Tuamoheloa.
(c) means captain. (vc) means vice captain.
Seattle Seawolves vs Chicago Hounds kicks off Sunday, May 24 at 1:00 PM PT at Starfire Stadium. Fans can watch live on ESPN+, KONG, and the K5+ App. Fans can also download the official MLR App for live updates, standings, highlights, and match coverage.
The official away match viewing party will take place at Moss Bay Hall located at 111 Central Way in Kirkland, Washington.
