Pandora Hughes
Seattle look like a solid bet in their Western Conference clash with Sporting Kansas on Saturday.
Who do Bettors Favor?
The odds compilers for the best-rated online sportsbooks appear to agree that this is a one-sided fixture, with Seattle Sounders rated as big favorites to get the better of their Western Conference rivals here. You can back the Sounders at -140, while the visitors are available at +360 and the draw is priced at +286.
| Seattle v Kansas |  |  |  |
| Seattle | -140 | -140 | -133 |
| Draw | +295 | +286 | +275 |
| Kansas | +400 | +360 | +340 |
Seattle Climbing the Table
A trio of defeats in April left Seattle at the wrong end of the Western Conference table, but they have corrected that slump with a run of four wins and a draw from their last six. Minnesota, Charlotte and Vancouver have all been beaten at Lumen Field, and the Sounders have also picked up a handy win in Houston and matched MLS-leading LAFC in a 1-1 draw, also at home.
Seattle have climbed to seventh in the West, three points behind Nashville, though with two games in hand, and they’ve tightened up considerably in defense, conceding four in their last six.
One of the most resilient teams in MLS, it seems that the Sounders have fully recovered from their early-season Champions League exertions, and a rash of injuries and are likely to be serious challengers for the remainder of the MLS season.
Sporting Kansas Struggling
A 2-1 win in Nashville at the weekend came as a welcome respite for struggling Sporting Kansas City, being only their second victory in their last twelve in MLS.
That win lifted them out of the bottom two in the Western Conference, but there is still a lot of work to be done if they are to return to their more familiar spot in the play-off zone.
And you don’t have to look too hard to see where the problem lies. Both of the franchise’s Designated Players, Alan Pulido and Gadi Kinda, are out of action, the first time in the history of MLS that any team has been unable to field either DP. Kinda and Pulido are not just the two most expensive players in the history of the franchise and their big stars, they are also the two most impactful attacking players in the roster. In their absence, Kansas have registered the third lowest goals tally in MLS.
Seattle v Kansas Head to Head
Since Seattle Sounders joined MLS in 2009, these two teams have been regular rivals, meeting on 29 occasions in the last 13 years and the head-to-head record is well balanced.
Seattle have won this fixture ten times, compared to twelve wins to Kansas and seven draws, but Kansas have had the better of the rivalry in recent years, winning four of their last five games.
The latest match between these Western Conference big guns came at Lumen Field in October last year, when a goal ten minutes from time by Johnny Russell clinched a 2-1 Kansas win.
MLS Betting Team News
The team news for Seattle is looking a lot brighter than it was in the early weeks of the season. Although Joao Paulo is still out as he recovers from a tear in his right ACL and Yeimar Gomez Andrade is also absent with a hamstring problem, Stefan Cleveland returned to the bench for the game against LAFC and could be in line for some playing time here.
Raul Ruidiaz is level with Freddie Montero in the list of most regular-season goals for Seattle and if fit, this could be the game that enables him to break the record, although having missed the LAFC game with a muscle injury, he may be on the bench here.
Pulido and Kinda are still recovering from surgery, and Ozzie Cisneros is still recovering from a hamstring problem, but there is better news about some of the other absentees for Kansas. Jake Davis had been suffering from an adductor muscle problem, but was on the bench for the win against Nashville and may start here, while Nikola Vujnovic has been back in training and may also be available, along with Uri Rosell, who was suspended after a sending-off in the 2-1 defeat to New England Revolution.
MLS Match Betting Pick
Seattle’s consistency over their 13 seasons in MLS has been remarkable and after a rough start, they are once again heading in the right direction.
Sporting Kansas will draw some comfort from their good recent record against the Sounders, and from a solid win in Nashville last time out, but Seattle are tougher opponents who are getting stronger all the time as they return to something like full strength.
In particular, the visitors are likely to find it hard to break down one of the better defenses in MLS, given their own offensive weakness. Head coach Peter Vermes will be hoping to see more signs of improvement here but another defeat seems likely and Seattle are the clear pick.
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