Seattle Sounders FC was short on star power for much of the first half of the MLS season, and it showed with a lack of goals and a lack of points. But the Sounders will finally get their main star Clint Dempsy back to start the second half against their Cascadia rivals, the Vancouver Whitecaps.
The ‘Caps are surprisingly up in second place in the West standings thanks to some solid defending. Can they keep the struggling Sounders silent in Seattle?
Get ready for this fierce Western Conference rivalry game with our complete preview below. Also, don’t forget to check out our preview of the East’s marquee matchup, the New England Revolution vs. Toronto FC.
[sc:Soccer ]Seattle Sounders FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps Preview
Where: CenturyLink Field, Seattle
When: Saturday, August 1, 10:00 PM ET
Line: Vancouver Whitecaps +194 at Seattle Sounders FC +114, tie +230; total: 2.5 – view all MLS lines
Betting on Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounders FC’s last seven games make for some sad reading. The Sounders lost six of those seven games – including the last three prior to the All-Star break to identical 1-0 score lines – as they slid down to fifth in the West standings with 32 points and a 10-10-2 record.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Unsurprisingly, that massive slump coincided with the absence of their prolific Clint Dempsey-Obafemi Martins strike partnership. Dempsey (seven goals and six assists in 12 games this season) was off with the US Men’s National Team participating in the Gold Cup, while Martins (seven goals and four assists in 11 games) suffered a groin strain.
Martins is still not expected to make his return just yet, but Dempsey should be back and in fine form following his Gold Cup exploits. Dempsey won the Golden Boot Award as the tournament’s top scorer with seven goals. Dempsey’s return will be a huge lift to a Sounders offense that managed to score just two goals in seven matches without him and Martins in attack.
Meanwhile, Seattle’s defense remains one of the most solid in the league. The Sounders have conceded just 21 goals in 22 games, one of only three teams in the MLS with fewer goals conceded than games played.
The Sounders scored a 2-0 victory on the road against Vancouver in their first meeting of the season thanks to a Chad Barrett brace. Seattle is 7-3-1 at home this season.
Betting on the Vancouver Whitecaps
The Vancouver Whitecaps (11-8-3, 36 points) entered the All-Star break in the dizzying heights of second place in the Western Conference standings after a 3-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes. Mauro Rosales scored his first ever goal for the club and set up another, while Octavio Rivero scored his team-leading eighth goal of the campaign from the penalty spot to snap the team’s three-match winless run.
Despite Rivero’s steady production, the ‘Caps still aren’t spectacular going forward. They don’t have the great individual talent like a Clint Dempsey that can change a game in an instant. But they’ve still had a lot of success this season thanks in large part to their very solid defense – led by All-Star goalie David Ousted – which has conceded just 22 goals in 22 games thus far.
Vancouver has also proven to be quite the formidable road team this season. The ‘Caps are 6-4-2 away from home, and scored consecutive road wins against the Los Angeles Galaxy (1-0), New York Red Bulls (2-1) and New England Revolution (2-1) over a three-game span in June.
The ‘Caps lost their first meeting against the Sounders this season, but they have enjoyed quite a successful spell against their Cascadia rivals in recent years. They had gone undefeated in their last five meetings (four wins and a draw) against the Sounders prior to this season.
Writer’s Prediction
Dempsey gets Seattle back to winning ways as he leads the Sounders to a 1-0 win over Vancouver. Create a betting account now and get back to winning ways by wagering on MLS soccer.
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