MLS 2020 Betting Preview: Seattle Sounders

Champions Again?

Since their founding back in 2007, Seattle Sounders have established themselves as one of Major League Soccer's most accomplished sides. Since 2016, they have turned out in three out of four MLS Cup finals and have been crowned champions in two of those appearances, regularly appearing amongst the best soccer odds for all of Major League Soccer's most prized titles.. They are a group that can boast promoting some of the most highly regarded homegrown talents in the form of DeAndre Yedlin, Jordan Morris, Tyler Miller and Henry Wingo in more recent times.

Though they might have joined the Major League party a little later than some, their record in the postseason is already better than the likes of Columbus Crew, FC Dallas, Toronto and Real Salt Lake.

How Did The Sounders do In 2019?

The Sounders made a strong start to their 2019 campaign, racking up an opening run of 13 games between March and May with only one loss as they flew up to second in the table. Home wins against the Galaxy, Toronto and Atlanta were undoubtedly the highlights for the Sounders as they continued to showcase their ability in a largely steady campaign. They were unbeaten in all of their Heritage Cup fixtures against San Jose Earthquakes, and finished their Cascadia Cup games with a record of 2-1-1 against the Whitecaps and the Timbers.

Seattle were always tipped to finish within the postseason bracket in our MLS predictions, however their form in the MLS Cup was when the Sounders really drew in our attention. A thrilling 4-3 home win in extra-time saw off FC Dallas, before the Sounders vanquished Salt Lake in a much more comfortable 2-0 win. The 2019 Western Conference Final was then contested between the Sounders and Supporters Shield winners LAFC, with Seattle on the road and massively up against the odds.

However, they produced one of the shocks of the season when they came back from 1-0 down to go on and win 1-3 thanks to goals from Marcelo Lodeiro and two from Raul Ruidiaz. Stunning Bob Bradley and co. on the West Coast and moving themselves into their third MLS Cup Final in four years.

The Sounders might have been our favorite for the MLS Cup with odds of -225 against Toronto's +163 in our picks from the best soccer markets, however the Sounders' triumph over LA showed that being a favorite doesn't always guarantee a win. Back at CenturyLink however, Seattle put in a dominant and assured performance as they romped to a convincing 3-1 win.

Who Should We Look Out For This Year?

Jordan Morris remains an ever-present in the Sounders' set up and a vital cog in Brian Schmetzer's side. Having turned down the opportunity to play in the likes of England and Germany and missing the entire 2018 MLS season through injury, it was great to see the USMNT star return to form last season. The forward hit 13 goals, including a hattrick in the MLS Cup against FC Dallas, all of which came in just 30 appearances last campaign for Morris, who used more and more from the left side by Schmetzer.

Raul Ruidiaz was signed by the Sounders as a Designated Player in June 2018 and has quickly marked himself out as one of the leading talents brought in to the division. He set Sounders records for the fastest time to register 10 goals for the team and still holds the record for longest run of consecutive games to have scored in at 8. He scored the Sounders' third goal in last year's MLS Cup Final against Toronto, and had marked himself out a focal point through the middle for Schmetzer and his set up.

How Do We Think They're Going To Do?

Whilst Seattle go into the 2020 campaign with another strong squad, arguably their biggest plus is their steely experience in the post and their remarkable consistency over the past few years. They have a great fanbase, an awesome stadium and a core group of players that have been together for plenty of seasons now.

With that being said, they haven't won a Supporters Shield since 2014 and were quite some distant behind LA in the West last year. Plugging the gap between themselves and the likes of LA, NYCFC and Atlanta has to be a top target for the Sounders this campaign.