After wrapping up a three-game road trip with victory over their regional rivals up in Vancouver, Seattle Sounders FC finally return home this Saturday for their Western Conference showdown with Sporting Kansas City. Sporting are coming off a resounding victory against the in-form New England Revolution in midweek, and will be eager to snap a long winless run against the Rave Green.
This matchup will feature two of the most in-form players in the entire MLS with Sounders FC’s Clint Dempsey and Sporting’s Benny Feilhaber. Can either star inspire his team to victory? Get a full read on this big-time Western Conference matchup with our comprehensive preview below.
The Eastern Conference is also set for a top-of-the-table clash when leaders DC United face the Revolution. Check out our preview of that game here.
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Sporting Kansas City vs. Seattle Sounders FC Preview
Where: CenturyLink Field, Seattle
When: Saturday, May 23, 10:00 PM ET
Line: Sporting Kansas City +249 at Seattle Sounders FC -106, tie +223, totals 2.5 – view all MLS lines
Betting on Seattle Sounders FC
Not even an injury to one half of the MLS’s most feared strike partnership could prevent the Seattle Sounders from turning in one of their best performances of the season. Chad Barrett filled in nicely for the injured Obafemi Martins as he banged home both goals in the Rave Green’s 2-0 win over Cascadia rivals Vancouver last Saturday.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Seattle is third in the West with 19 points, two points back of conference-leading FC Dallas, which has played one game more. Seattle is also tied for the most goals scored (17) and the least goals conceded (nine) in the entire league.
Martins was hardly missed as Barrett stepped in seamlessly to the Sounders’ attack. Leading scorer Clint Dempsey (seven goals) turned provider for Barrett’s first goal, while winger Marco Pappa supplied his second. Pappa and Dempsey both have five assists this season, tied for second in the league. With Martins likely to miss out again, Dempsey must once again spearhead the Sounders attack against Sporting.
Dempsey has been in MVP-caliber form to start the season. He’s tied atop the league’s goals and assists charts despite playing in just eight games thus far. Three of his seven goals have given Sounders FC all three points. Dating back to last season, he’s recorded at least a goal or an assist in his last 10 appearances, one game shy of tying the MLS record.
Having a game-changer like Dempsey will give Seattle the edge in what is often a tightly-contested affair against Sporting KC. Sounders FC have scored five stoppage-time winners in series history against Sporting, with the most recent being Barrett’s 94th minute winner in last year’s season opener. Moreover, no team has ever won by more than a goal.
Seattle is 7-1-1 overall in the regular season series against Kansas City, and are undefeated in eight straight meetings.
Sporting KC have a terrible record historically against Sounders FC, but their build up to this year’s first meeting could be an indication of a better result this time around. Sporting crushed the high-flying New England Revolution 4-2 at home on Wednesday, which followed up a creditable 1-1 draw against East-leading DC United in their last away game.
After a slow start to the season, star striker Dom Dwyer has started to heat up. He scored in both games against DCU and the Revs, giving him three goals in his last four games. Meanwhile, Krisztian Nemeth continued his very strong season with two more goals against New England. He leads the team with five goals this season.
It’s a testament to Sporting’s fighting spirit that they were able to accomplish those results even without eight players; they only had 17 players available against New England.
“I really think the reason why we were able to get a result tonight was because of this one thing, and one thing only: We take every game that’s coming up as our most important, and we’re focused on that game, and we’re not thinking about the next,” said manager Peter Vermes after the game.
Midfield maestro Benny Feilhaber has been at the heart of Sporting’s inspired play. He completely outclassed New England’s talented midfield, which included Jermaine Jones and Lee Nguyen. He scored one and set up two other goals, giving him three goals and a league-high seven assists this season.
Feilhaber will once again be key to Sporting KC’s chances of bypassing a Sounders midfield that is well-organized and does a terrific job of protecting the back four. But Feilhaber in his current form has the ability to unlock any defense in the league.
Writer’s Prediction
Sounders FC (-106) get the better of Sporting KC again as they sneak by with a 1-0 home win.
