MLS: Seattle Sounders vs. Colorado Rapids Preview, Odds, Prediction

The CONCACAF Champions League winners, Seattle Sounders, meet with Colorado Rapids tonight at Lumen Field. The hosts are in a problem as they suffered some pretty unexpected losses, which complicate their position in the playoff picture. Apart from that, the Sounders have many important players injured. Meanwhile, the Rapids are mediocre but with some signs of life over the past three games. They are still near the playoff zone, and have certain chances to reach the promised land.

Preview

Seattle Sounders (-110) had a wonderful stretch until some three weeks, posting wins and staying unbeaten, but all that stopped once July started. Brian Schmezer’s unit lost four of the past five games, three of them in a row, and what is more important, in all three, they couldn’t score a single goal.

Now, knowing the Sounders, that is a major surprise, but with Raul Ruidiaz out, and a couple of more midfielders, this is logical. Currently, the only thing important for the team is that all these guys heal before the finish of the campaign and play in the crucial events.

Sounders are without a win at home in the past two appearances, losing to CF Montreal, 1-2, and being blasted by the Timbers, who went back to Portland with a 0-3 victory. As usual, the games at Lumen are efficient, and only one of the past five didn’t end with three or more hits.

Colorado Rapids (+290) have improved over the past few weeks, not losing in three straight contests. They were hammered to the bottom of the conference, but with these five points, the Rapids went up, and they are only three points away from the postseason area.

This is a huge deal for the franchise from Colorado, which was written off by most of the fans until their recent rise. At first, they snapped a point in Salt Lake against Real, 2-2, then played 1-1 at home against Orlando City, before eventually beating LA Galaxy with 2-0, also at home.

The game against the Galaxy was the first with a clean sheet for Colorado since late May, and it presents a big boost for Robin Fraser and his boys. However, now comes the tough part. Colorado didn’t win on the road since October last season and has only three points in nine outings this year, with a goal difference of 7:19.

Head to Head

These two teams played in May, and the Rapids were better than the Sounders, winning 1-0 at home. They also had a friendly game in March, and the Rapids were better in that one as well, 3-1. Overall, Seattle has only one win in the past five events against this rival.

Prediction

The hosts desperately need a win, but the injuries and the overall situation complicate things a lot. Still, we can’t recommend anything else but betting on the hosts and their victory here, as they simply have no other choice but to take all three points here. As CCL champions, we believe that they have enough players and power to secure success tonight.

Pick: Seattle Sounders Win -110