Seattle Sounders vs St. Louis CITY SC MLS Odds, Picks and Predictions April 8

Few teams have been able to slow down Sounders forward Jordan Morris, who has already scored eight goals this season. Expect him to remain hot tonight against St. Louis.

First place in the MLS Western Conference is up for grabs on Saturday night as first-place St. Louis CITY SC travels to the Pacific Northwest for a clash with the Seattle Sounders.

The newest addition to MLS, St. Louis is coming off their first defeat in club history, but they are a threat in every match behind an explosive offensive attack. Meanwhile, the Sounders are unbeaten at home so far this season, and will want to get a win to put themselves in an early pole position in the conference.

Will the hosts give a rude welcome to the rookie team, or will St. Louis prove their hot start is no fluke by picking up their biggest win yet? We dive into those topics and more with our Seattle vs. St. Louis CITY SC picks and predictions for Saturday, April 8.

Seattle Sounders vs St. Louis CITY SC best odds

Seattle Sounders vs St. Louis CITY SC picks and predictions

After a disappointing league campaign a year ago, which saw the Sounders fail to make the playoffs, they look to once again be one of the biggest threats in the league. Jordan Morris has already scored eight goals, including all four in their victory over Kansas City, and has scored in four of the Sounders' six matches this season. In fact, when he hasn’t scored neither has his team.

St. Louis has a solid defense in their inaugural season. They’ve conceded just five goals in six matches, and have kept two clean sheets already. However, only one of those have come on the road, and that came against a Real Salt Lake side that have just three goals to their credit.

They’re going to have their hands full with Seattle’s attack. Midfielder Joao Paulo is back from an injury that put him on the shelf nearly all of last season, and is pulling the strings in midfield creating chances for Morris, Raul Ruidiaz, and Cristian Roldan in attack. That’s going to be a problem for a St. Louis side that conceded twice to Austin, the most dangerous attack they’ve faced yet.

The Sounders have scored 12 goals this season, and they’re lethal on the counter-attack. Their 11.9 expected goals are the most in the league, and their 30 shots on target are third-most in the league. Those shots are coming from dangerous places as well, as only five teams are attempting their efforts from closer to goal than Seattle.

I’m not one to buy fully into trends, but when a prolific scorer has put eight shots on goal and converted each of them, I’m going to take note. Morris is finishing at an unheard-of rate, and he’s now facing a defense that ranks third in the league in expected goal difference – a sign that opponents are letting them off with bad finishing.

When I can get Morris at nearly +200 to continue his hot streak, I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. And that’s the situation right now at FanDuel, who has Morris to score anytime priced nearly twice as high as any other book.

I don’t know if it’s a mistake on their part, or they simply don’t value him to score, but I’m not questioning their reasoning. I ran as fast as I could to place a multi-unit wager, and I suggest you do the same before watching what could be the best match of the season so far.

My best bet: Jordan Morris to score anytime (+190 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

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Seattle Sounders vs St. Louis CITY SC side analysis

It’s been a historic start to the inaugural campaign for St. Louis. They’re the only expansion club in league history to win their first four matches, and the first expansion club to claim a full nine points in their first three matches on the road. They’ve been outstanding in attack this season. Their 15 goals scored pace the league, and eight different players have found the back of the net so far.

But last weekend their run came to a screeching halt against Minnesota United. They lost at home and failed to score for the first time, and managed to put just three of 16 shots on goal against one of the stingiest defenses in the league this season.

That could be a precursor of Saturday’s match. Minnesota’s three goals conceded this season is a mark matched by just two other teams – and Seattle’s done it despite having played an extra match. The Sounders have yet to see their net rippled at home, outscoring their first three opponents by a combined 6-0 scoreline. That includes a scoreless draw in their last home outing three weeks ago, when Seattle blanked LAFC’s high-powered attack.

I think this will be a closer affair than the 3-way line indicates, but Seattle’s got the crowd behind them and they’ve yet to concede at home. Their price is too high to play straight-up, but the first half moneyline could present solid value. Otherwise, I’d use the Seattle moneyline in a parlay and nothing more.

Seattle Sounders vs St. Louis CITY SC Over/Under analysis

This is a tricky total to navigate given Seattle’s defensive excellence at home this season. Both of these teams like to attack, and their goal tallies reflect that. However, their defensive numbers are a bit misleading. Remember when I said only two teams had allowed fewer goals than expected? Well, one of those teams is Seattle. In fact, their -3.4 goals minus expected is the most in MLS this season.

That said, Seattle’s matches have been evenly split on both sides of the total, with three going Under the 2.5 mark and three going Over. Their last two have both seen three or more goals scored, but only one of three at home have done so.

As for St. Louis, it’s been almost nothing but Overs. Last week’s 1-0 defeat was the first to see fewer than three goals, and three of their six matches have featured four or more goals. Away from home, their three matches have averaged four goals per contest with St. Louis having scored nine of those.

The Over is favored, but isn’t so juiced that I’d suggest staying away from it. In fact, if I were playing the total that’s where I’d go. However, I’d negate a bit of the juice by combining it with both teams to score, as I think Seattle is going to concede at least once before the night is over.

Seattle Sounders vs St. Louis CITY SC game info

Seattle Sounders vs St. Louis CITY SC key injuries

Seattle Sounders: Kelyn Rowe D (Out), Dylan Teves M (Out).
St. Louis CITY SC: Joakim Nilsson D (Out), Rasmus Alm M (Out).

Seattle Sounders vs St. Louis CITY SC weather

Weather shouldn't be a big factor in tonight's match with clear skies and a high of 54 degrees expected. Forecasters are calling for a 0% chance of rain and wind gusts of just 11 mph.