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St. Louis City and the Seattle Sounders met six weeks ago, but St. Louis coach Yoann Damet isn’t focusing much on that match as the clubs are set to square off Saturday in Seattle. “It feels like it was months ago, to be honest,” Damet said of St. Louis’ 1-0 defeat. “That’s how much we’ve played since then, and that’s how much we’ve improved, I think, as well. “I’m not putting too much into that game thinking it’s going to be the same game. It’s going to be completely different at their place.” Seattle (4-1-1, 13 points) won 1-0 at St. Louis on March 7 as Kalani Kossa-Rienzi scored the lone goal in the 47th minute. The Sounders’ Andrew Thomas

The Portland Timbers might be the more desperate team. The Minnesota United could be the more fatigued team. The clubs meet Saturday night at Saint Paul, Minn. Following Saturday’s match, Portland (2-4-1, 7 points) travels to San Diego and Salt Lake. The Timbers are 0-3-0 in road matches. “It’s a group of fixtures we have to pick up points,” coach Phil Neville said. “We have to develop a different type of mentality. We’re going to have to dig in. We’re going to have to get victories. We’re going to have to get results.” Portland became the first team this season to score on LAFC in last week’s 2-1 victory. That might be a spark that can lead to more consistent

FC Dallas, with Santiago Moreno’s arrival this year adding to an already potent attack led by Petar Musa, will try to keep their early-season form going Saturday night when they continue a homestand against the Los Angeles Galaxy in Frisco, Texas. Moreno enjoyed 4 1/2 good years in Portland, scoring 20 goals and adding 40 assists in 131 fixtures for the Timbers. But a high-profile transfer to Brazilian side Fluminense resulted in Moreno logging just 18 minutes total. Fluminense loaned Moreno to Dallas for the season’s balance with an option to make it permanent at year’s end. He believes he can help Dallas (3-1-3, 12 points) become a contender in MLS’ Western Conference. “The few times I’ve been able to

The Carolina Hurricanes worked all season to secure the top seed in the Eastern Conference, and now they turn their attention to the next phase of the season on Saturday afternoon. They’ll welcome the Ottawa Senators for the opener of the first-round series in Raleigh, N.C. “We’ve been eager for this for a long time,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “Once we knew it was official, and we were in a pretty good spot all year, we’ve got to turn the page now. It goes to being a sprint. We know the season’s a marathon, and now all of a sudden you’ve got to be ready right from the get-go and put your best foot forward.” The Senators hold the