Can the Seattle Sounders go on a run here at the end of the MLS season? That's really one of the biggest questions in the league right now as we head down the stretch for the run-in. The Sounders picked up three big points against Orlando City on the road, and now they get to return home for a match they really must win against Real Salt Lake to continue their forward momentum towards getting back into the postseason picture.
This MLS fixture is scheduled for Sunday, August 14, 2016, at 7:00 p.m. ET at CenturyLink Field. The match will be televised live on FOX Sports 1.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Seattle Sounders -120
Real Salt Lake +310
Draw +240
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
Are the Sounders being given a little too much respect here? Sure, they're coming off of their best win of the season for sure, but they're still just 7-3-12 overall, including a relatively woeful 5-1-5 mark here at CenturyLink Field. It's also not like Real Salt Lake is a dud team either; the club is in third place in the Western Conference heading into its 25th match.
As it is though, Seattle is set at -120 on the moneyline and is going to be expected to take the three points from this match. RSL is a +310 dog.
The total is set at a flat 2.5, a relatively low number by MLS standards.
Key Injuries
Erik Friberg missed last week's match against Orlando City, and he remains questionable to rejoin the Seattle midfield at some point before this fixture. Roman Torres and Aaron Kovar are both out for the long run for the Sounders.
RSL has two big question marks in the midfield with Yura Movsisyan and Jordan Allen, both of which have relatively minor injuries. Sunday Stephen and Emery Welshman are both out of the fold as well in the midfield which is putting a tremendous strain on manager Jeff Cassar and his midfield.
Recent Form
All of the building blocks for the Sounders are clearly build on the team's last 80 minutes of play. The first 10 against Orlando were horrid, but leave it up to Clint Dempsey to sway the game in a hurry. He put together a hatty to give the club a massive 3-1 win, and that's now four points in two matches for a team which has had all sorts of trouble stringing together positive results this year.
RSL isn't a team we talk about all that often, but it's certainly a team which is on the rise in the West. Real has picked up five positive results in its last six matches, including a 3-1 win last weekend at home against lowly Chicago.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Don't you just get the feeling that the Sounders are really just teasing all of their bettors? They haven't strung together any success this season, and though Dempsey is coming off of the best game of his campaign, he's had a horrible season and has been a tremendous disappointment.
RSL has much better organization than does Orlando City, and that could make a big difference here on the pitch in Seattle. The Sounders very well should get a result from this match, but don't be all that surprised if Dempsey ends up going MIA once again.
Don't underestimate the problem with all of the travel for the Sounders, too. They did overcome their issues with the longest road trip possible in Orlando, but the trip back took out a full day of prep for this match as well. RSL has been resting and home and has a much shorter trip to get to Seattle.
A draw seems to be the end result du jour in this fixture.
MLS Odds: Seattle Sounders 1, Real Salt Lake 1
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