NWSL live video: Seattle Reign vs. Western New York Flash
The big story in this game has nothing to do with the game itself. And whether you want to hear about it or not, if you're a close follower of the National Women's Soccer League, there's no use in trying to avoid it.
Even if you don't watch the league much, you've probably heard about the furore that erupted last weekend when these two teams met in Rochester last weekend.
The Flash's usual home, Sahlen's Stadium, was booked with a concert. So the contest got moved across town to Frontier Field, a baseball venue that also has a long and proud soccer history.
Good idea in theory, right? Well, it wasn't in reality. The Flash didn't want to pay to sod over the infield, so the soccer playing surface was jammed into a 51-yard-wide box within the confines of the outfield.
The result was an epic disaster.
And that's putting it politely.
Western New York owners Joe and Alex Sahlen apologized. NWSL commissioner Jeff Plush apologized, not least because the league gave the Flash an exemption from the league minimum standard field with of 70 yards.
(Believe it or not, FIFA's minimum standard width is 50 yards.)
Neither apology was fully satisfactory.
Yes, the NWSL has its share of issues. And they aren't just in Rochester. Seattle's Memorial Stadium, where tonight's game will be played, has a few of its own - and I love the place's history and picturesque setting on the edge of downtown.
The league's own progress in its four-year history has justly set a high enough bar that last weekend's debacle in Rochester simply shouldn't have happened.
It's in the past now, such as it can be, though fans and players alike won't forget the matter for a while.
What makes things even worse is that it overshadows what has been a really good season for the Flash, which haven't reached the NWSL playoffs since 2013. Makenzy Doniak is a very good young forward, and Jaelene Hinkle has a promising national team future at left back.
The Reign have some great international talent from nations that aren't at the Olympics: the Netherlands' Manon Melis, Japan's Nahomi Kawasumi, Scotland's Kim Little and Wales' Jessica Fishlock.
Kickoff is set for around 10:00 p.m. Eastern time.