Seattle Sounders will host San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, July 31, at Lumen Field. Sounders have suffered only one home loss this term and have not lost as a host in this head-to-head matchup once since 2015, managing five wins and two draws.
Seattle Sounders vs San Jose Earthquakes
When: Saturday, July 31 – 16:00 PDT
Where: Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington
Weather: Cloudy, 25°C
Referee: Kevin Stott (USA)
Seattle Sounders are currently at the very top of the table in the Western Conference of the MLS. They’ve been there for a while now, but there’s a danger they could drop to the second spot as Sporting Kansas City are just two points behind, with one game fewer.
The Sounders got themselves in this situation by losing two games in the previous three rounds. Before that, they were the only team in the conference without a single defeat.
What this all means is that they need to get back to the winning track and the game against San Jose Earthquakes seems like an ideal opportunity for that.
Sounders Have Been Brilliant in Seattle
Even though Seattle Sounders lost to Sporting Kansas City in the previous round, their home record is still very impressive. They’ve won five of the nine home games this season while also drawing three. The loss against Sporting was their only home defeat of 2021.
Their superb home run goes beyond the 2021 MLS season. In fact, in 2020, they collected 27 points in 12 home games, which was a better score than any other team in the conference. They also won all of their playoff games on home turf.
Seattle Sounders also boast a great home record against San Jose Earthquakes. They’re undefeated in their previous seven meetings at Lumen Field, winning five and drawing two. The last time the San Jose franchise beat them in Seattle was in June 2015.
What has to worry the hosts is that they have a long list of injured players. Some of the guys who will miss today’s game include Stefan Frei, Jordan Morris, Jordy Delem, Cristian Roldan, Alex Roldan, Nouhou Tolo, and Cissoko.
The good news is that Nicolas Lodeiro and Will Bruin could make a comeback. What’s more, San Jose have injury concerns ahead of this bout as well.
San Jose Earthquakes Winless Since Early May
Same as Seattle Sounders, San Jose Earthquakes will miss some of their first-team players. Carlos Fierro is out due to picking up a red card in the previous game, while Matt Bersano, Jackson Yueill, and Tommy Thompson are on the injury list. Without those players in the squad, San Jose doesn’t look like a team that could do much.
It’s been a while since San Jose won a game in the MLS. The last time it happened was on May 7, when they beat Real Salt Lake. However, even that wasn’t a significant achievement considering that the team from Utah hasn’t been too impressive this season, especially not two months ago.
San Jose’s biggest problem seems to be their offence. They’ve scored only 17 goals in 15 games this season, which ranks them as the third-worst offensive team in the Western Conference (although they share that spot with two other teams).
Still, they have managed to score goals over the last couple of weeks. In fact, they put away a goal in each of their previous five matches, four of which finished in a draw. Should they hope for another such result? We don’t think so.
Seattle Sounders vs San Jose Earthquakes Betting Picks
Seattle Sounders field a better squad than San Jose Earthquakes, and while their form isn’t as solid as it was a couple of weeks back, they have the tools to bounce back tonight. Sounders have been very efficient against San Jose Earthquakes in their last meetings at Lumen Field, and there is nothing that would suggest this match will be any different.
Prediction: Seattle Sounders to win – 1.76 at Sportmarket
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