ThePostGame checks out the recent trends between the MLS Western Conference teams Seattle Sounders FC and San Jose Earthquakes.
All eyes will be on Saturday’s MLS matchup between the San Jose Earthquakes and Seattle Sounders FC, as the Earthquakes travel to take on the No. 1 team in the Western Conference. The Earthquakes are looking to get out of a series of draws against a Sounders team that has been hot all season.
Seattle’s defense has held its opponents to just four goals in July, with three of those goals coming last week at home against No. 2 Sporting Kansas City. Can the Sounders bounce back Saturday from a rare home loss? Go to BetMGM for the most updated odds.
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Previewing Sunday’s Seattle Sounders FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC sports betting odds and lines, with MLS betting picks, tips and best bets.
The Seattle Sounders FC (0 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw) and Vancouver Whitecaps FC (0-1-0) look to settle their Pacific Northwest squabble in Group B action of the MLS is Back Tournament Sunday at 10:30 p.m. ET at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla. Below, we preview the Seattle-Vancouver betting odds and lines, and make our best MLS bets and picks at BetMGM.
Seattle Sounders FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC: Key injuries
SEATTLE (-162) is a huge favorite in this one against the banged up and short-handed Vancouver (+425) side. The Sounders look to continue their mastery of the Whitecaps, as Seattle has posted an impressive 4-0-1 mark in the past five meetings vs. Vancouver.
UNDER 2.5 (+115) is the direction to look in this Pacific Northwest tussle played in Central Florida. In the past six meetings between these sides, there has been a pair of scoreless draws, Seattle has scored a total of just seven goals and Vancouver has managed to hit the back of the net just once. The Sounders have just one goal so far through two matches in the bubble, so the UNDER is the call.
Want some action in this one? Place an MLS bet with BetMGM today. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.
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Here’s everything we saw and learned from Seattle’s win over Toronto in MLS Cup.
Seattle Sounders FC won MLS Cup on Sunday afternoon, outlasting Toronto FC in a 3-1 win that saw the game break open in the second half. Every goal came after the 57th minute, as what started as a cagey affair soon turned into a thrilling, up-and-down match.
Let’s get to five things we learned from the game.
1. Seattle was deep, and depth is often the difference maker
For the first 55 minutes of MLS Cup, the two teams played each other basically to a stalemate. Toronto had more of the ball, but didn’t seem willing to throw too many men forward, and attack after attack fizzled out.
Seattle needed something to switch things up. First, they got a somewhat lucky deflection goal from right back Kevin Leerdam. (See what happens when you commit numbers forward?)
What blew the game open, however, was the introduction of Victor Rodriguez. Rodriguez came in during the 61st minute for Brad Smith (who didn’t have his best game) and broke it open with a phenomenal goal that doubled Seattle’s lead.
Rodriguez has struggled with injuries all season, but the fact that Seattle can turn to a Barcelona-trained attacker with years of La Liga experience off the bench shows how deep this squad is. The Sounders don’t have a Zlatan or a Rooney. They have a bunch of very good players, and that’s why they’re so successful.
2. Brian Schmetzer should be getting more attention than he is
Well the other reason that Seattle is so successful is that the team has a hell of a coach. Brian Schmetzer coached the Seattle Sounders back before they were in MLS, then served as an assistant for Sigi Schmid when the team entered the top flight of American soccer. He got the interim job when the late Schmid stepped down, and promptly won MLS Cup. He’s now been in three finals in four years, winning two of them.
Schmetzer doesn’t command the attention of other coaches in this league, but it’s hard to argue with the fact that, on resume alone, he might be the best.
The final was an example of his brilliance. The team was organized, defended well, but took their chances as the game moved forward. They shut down Toronto’s most potent attacker, Alejandro Pozuelo, and then relied on the pace of Jordan Morris and Ruidiaz going forward to wreak havoc when Toronto started to chase the game.
3. Toronto needed to force the issue in the first half, and it didn’t
Toronto FC couldn’t get a full 90 minutes from Jozy Altidore, though he did come in as a substitute and grab a late, headed consolation goal.
Without Altidore, Toronto only had one real target man in the attacking third — Pozuelo. With Seattle keyed in on him and tackling hard to keep him uncomfortable, Toronto needed other players to stress the issue and take chances. That … didn’t really happen.
When Auro pushed up from right back for Toronto, he was giving Brad Smith fits on that wing, and I assumed Toronto would start getting him to bomb forward and get men in the box. With the speed of Seattle’s Jordan Morris on that left wing, however, Auro was hesitant to commit too much.
That’s probably the right call, but Toronto had total control of the game for about twenty minutes at the end of the first half, and mustered one or two shots that didn’t really trouble Sounders keeper Stefan Frei. I know finals are cagey, but there were chances for Auro, Michael Bradley, or Marky Delgado to take chances and get in the box. They didn’t.
4. That crowd was an all-timer
Holy smokes, 70,000 people at CenturyLink Field was special. That final had real atmosphere, which is all MLS can ask for.
While the TV numbers will undoubtedly be disappointing for the league, and I thought there was an odd lack of marketing around the final, MLS’ move to a single-elimination format for the playoffs has made the tournament more exciting. Diehards may grumble that it leaves more up to chance, but this tournament has always been ridiculous, and might as well lean into it.
5. Ruidiaz is special
While watching this match, I couldn’t help but keep focusing on Ruidiaz, Sounders’ diminutive striker who, at 5-foot-7, still manages to physically dominate just about anyone who comes at him. He may not be the brand that Zlatan is, but Ruidiaz is a breathtaking player, all piss and vinegar and energy. Watching him occupy the Toronto defenders was incredible to watch.
