No team has been as disappointing as the Seattle Sounders this year. Seattle was seen as the team to beat out West after winning the conference last year and getting even stronger this offseason. Yet they have yet to even score a goal through the first month of the season, much less win a match.
There have been no such issues for Sporting Kansas City. Sporting KC has been the surprise of the league through the first month of the season and are currently atop the Western Conference. They are the one team that has proven it can play well on the road through two wins and a draw in three road games.
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MLS Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Seattle Sounders +351
Sporting Kansas City -133
Draw +275
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
It appears that the oddsmakers are still showing a lot of respect to the Sounders. Sporting KC has been the best team in the West, but Seattle is not the big underdog you might expect away from home. Some of that might have to do with how rested the Sounders are, they have played just three times in the MLS this season, and they did have another bye last week.
Recent Form
Discipline has been a major issue for Seattle this season. Incredibly, the Sounders have picked up straight red cards in all three of their matches. The first one came late in a frustrating 1-0 loss in their season opener against LAFC, but the other two left them without recourse.
Clint Dempsey picked up a red card late in the first half against FC Dallas with the Sounders down 1-0 to eliminate any hope of a comeback a few weeks ago. That red card was undeserved and is the type of thing that video assisted review is supposed to eliminate.
However, the red card that Kelvin Leerdam picked up in Seattle’s last match was deserved. Leerdam dangerously moved under a player who was in the air and then slapped him in the face when he took offense. Seattle had looked good on offense until that point, but couldn’t muster much afterwards and allowed a Jeisson Vargas goal in the second half to lose 1-0 to Montreal.
Sporting KC dropped its first match this year, but the club has not looked back since that point. The offense has been fantastic since that point, leading the club to a 4-0-1 record over their last five matches.
Defense was supposed to be the strong suit of Sporting KC coming into the year. The club surprisingly allowed nine goals in their first four matches, but the defense has been much better lately. They shutout both D.C. United and the LA Galaxy in their last two matches.
Key Absences
Injuries have played a huge part in Seattle’s problems this season. Star forward Jordan Morris tore his ACL in the preseason and will not return this year. Replacing him has been very difficult, especially with other starters out. Midfielders Osvaldo Alonso and Victor Rodriguez have been out and will also be out for this one, as well as defenseman Kim Kee-Hee. Midfielder Henry Wingo is questionable too.
Sporting KC only has one player on the injury report, but it’s their most important one. Midfielder Felipe Gutierrez was named MLS Player of the Month for his work in March after coming over from Real Betis in the offseason. Gutierrez notched five goals in the month, including three game winners, and he has been one of the league’s top playmakers. He missed the last match and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
As long as Gutierrez plays, I like Sporting KC in this one. They have been the much better team and are playing at home. However, if Gutierrez is unable to take part, the draw option looks very appealing.
Major League Soccer Odds: Sporting Kansas City 2, Seattle Sounders 0
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