Seattle Sounders vs Sporting Kansas City MLS Odds, Picks and Predictions May 7
Sporting Kansas City are still in search of their first win 10 games into the season and now have the fun of facing Seattle. With a lack of goalscoring for Sporting and the Sounders' stingy D, our MLS betting picks expect a clean sheet for the hosts.
With 10 matches under their belt in the new MLS campaign, Sporting KC are still in search of their first league victory and in search of answers as to how to fix their problems. Sunday sees them hoping to find those answers in an unlikely place when they visit the Seattle Sounders, who currently sit atop the Western Conference table.
Sporting sits dead last in MLS with just three points from a possible 30 on offer — which also matches their total goals scored thus far in the campaign. Now they must visit a hostile environment and look to find a way to break through a Seattle defense that has yet to concede a single goal in five league matches at Lumen Field this season.
Will Sporting pull off a shocking result and save their manager’s job, or will Seattle put the final nail in his coffin? Find out in our Seattle Sounders vs Sporting KC betting picks for Sunday, May 7.
Seattle Sounders vs Sporting Kansas City best odds
Seattle Sounders vs Sporting Kansas City picks and predictions
I don’t like to look a gift horse in the mouth, and getting a Seattle clean sheet at plus odds is a gift in my opinion. Getting it at a substantially better price at DraftKings is even more of a bonus, and that’s why I’m not hesitating to give it out as my best bet.
Seattle’s allowed a total of seven goals through their first 10 MLS matches this season — and none of them have come at home. They’ve held the high-powered offenses of both LAFC and St Louis City to scoreless outings, teams that have scored a combined 38 goals through 18 matches.
Stefan Frei has been terrific at the back, and he’s only faced 13 shots on goal in those five outings. In fact, three of the four teams failed to manage more than two efforts on target.
Sporting is putting shots on goal, they’re just not of the highest quality. They did manage to score against New England two weeks ago in their last away match, but that same side hasn’t kept a clean sheet in their last four matches — including a U.S. Open Cup fixture against a USL side.
Long-time manager Peter Vermes could see himself unemployed after this weekend, and he’s got little reason to complain. His side lost at home to this very Seattle side by a 4-1 scoreline just six weeks ago, and it could get even worse with him missing half of his preferred starting XI for this fixture.
Making matters worse were the comments from Sporting captain Johnny Russell last week. Following their 2-0 home defeat to Montreal, the midfielder said, “I genuinely don’t know how you fix it”.
Seven of Sporting’s last 10 matches have seen them fail to score a goal, including four of their six road trips this season. Expecting them to find a way to score on the road — against the second-stingiest defense in the league — makes little sense.
Throw in the rash of injuries the visitors are dealing with alongside a dash of locker room turmoil, and the Lumen Field environment isn’t one where I expect them to figure things out. In fact, I’m betting that they won’t.
My best bet: Seattle to keep a clean sheet (+140 at DraftKings)
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Seattle Sounders vs Sporting Kansas City side analysis
Seattle leads the Western Conference with 20 points from 30 on offer, just one point back of New England and Cincinnati for the most points in the league. At home, they’ve won four of five, drawing the other.
Their +10 goal differential is tied for best in the league, although striker Jordan Morris has gone four matches without a goal after scoring eight in his first six. That’s a big reason why they’ve managed just two team goals in the last three matches.
Raul Ruidiaz being out won’t help matters much in that aspect, nor will the suspension of Joao Paolo. But when you’ve yet to concede a goal in any of your five home matches, you can get away with lower-scoring outcomes.
Sporting KC are still winless on the season, with just three draws through 10 matches. Graham Zusi is one of five regular starters who has been missing from action, however, there is a small chance he could return on Sunday. While it’s unlikely he starts, he could be a playmaking threat off the bench late in the match.
With a price of -150 or higher on the 3-way line, Seattle are rightly favored to win. If they weren’t struggling for goals of late, I reckon the juice would be even higher. Feel free to pair a Seattle win with a clean sheet if you’d like a bit more payout on the best bet, as I figure Seattle should find the back of the net against one of the worst defenses in the league.
Seattle Sounders vs Sporting Kansas City Over/Under analysis
At even money, the Under 2.5 is a sneaky play here given Seattle’s scoring output of late. Sporting KC are likely going to set up in a manner that will limit Seattle’s ability to hit on the break, and Ruidiaz being absent is a big blow to the attack.
On the flip side, we’ve discussed Seattle’s outstanding defensive prowess this season. Sporting simply aren’t scoring away from home, and Seattle’s not going to make it any easier for them. That said, just one of the last 10 meetings between these two clubs have featured less than three goals. Furthermore, the last five meetings at Lumen Field have each gone Over, with 19 total goals scored.
Six of Sporting’s 10 matches this season have not reached the three-goal mark, but their away matches have seen an even split of 3-3 on the total. Just two of Seattle’s five home matches have gone Over, but it’s important to remember they’ve been the only side to score in each of those.
Seattle Sounders vs Sporting Kansas City game info
Seattle Sounders vs Sporting Kansas City key injuries
Seattle Sounders: Raul Ruidiaz F (Out), Cristian Roldan D (Doubtful), Joao Paolo M (Out).
Sporting Kansas City: Graham Zusi M (Doubtful), Nemanja Radoja M (Doubtful), Kayden Pierre D (Out).
Seattle Sounders vs Sporting Kansas City weather
The mid-afternoon start will likely be a wet one, as it will be raining all morning and into the afternoon. Conditions should dry up as the match gets closer to halftime, and temps will rise up from the mid 50s into the 60s as that happens.
