.jpg "Seattle-vs.-Houston-(ESPN)")
The Seattle Sounders are very likely effectively already in the MLS Cup Final for a second consecutive season. They've picked up a 2-0 victory on the road in Houston, and they haven't ultimately been beaten by multiple goals at home in a year and a half. The Houston Dynamo are up against it, and they're going to have to believe in Christmas miracles to get through this fixture and overturn that two-goal deficit.
At 10:30 p.m. ET, tune into ESPN for live television coverage of this MLS match on Thursday, November 30, 2017, at CenturyLink Field.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Seattle Sounders -125
Houston Dynamo +325
Draw +270
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
We know that the Dynamo have to go for it in the second leg of the Western Conference Finals. They're facing a 2-0 deficit and virtually impossible odds to win this series. Houston is +325 just to win this match on the road, and it's set at +1500 to get out of Seattle with the most improbable comeback in MLS playoff history.
In spite of the fact that Seattle doesn't need to actually win this match to get to a second consecutive MLS Cup Final, it's a -125 favorite to come out on the right side of the scoreboard at CenturyLink Field.
The First Leg
The first leg of this home-and-home series was really never one that Houston was in. Houston keeper Joe Willis was nowhere near a Nicolas Lodeiro header from a corner 11 minutes into the match, and that was quite possibly the end of the home-and-home series right there.
It was only 17 minutes later that Jalil Anibaba was tossed from the match with a red card. Matters could have been much worse for the Dynamo had Lodeiro finished the ensuing penalty kick. Instead, Houston lived to tell about it, though the lead was doubled anyway when Will Bruin found the back of the net against his former team.
From there, the Sounders mostly sat back and challenged the 10 men for the Dynamo to come forward. There were some moments when Houston nearly got back into the fray, but for the most part, the more threatening attacks were on the counter from Seattle when the Dynamo just had far too many men committed forward.
Seattle maintained 57 percent of the possession for the match, and its spells on the ball were often long and drawn out. The Dynamo's 10 couldn't get it off of the Sounders' 11 for large stretches in that second half especially, and if that's the way this is going to play out in the second leg of the West Final, this could get far worse for Houston.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
This home-and-home series might not be as over as -2500 odds would suggest, but Houston isn't getting back into this. The Dynamo have produced virtually nothing offensively for the most part here in the playoffs, and it's going to take them a lot more than just one moment of accidental brilliance like they got against Vancouver to get into the MLS Cup Final.
We aren't going to be brave enough to really go with either side in this game. This match has the feel of one where the Dynamo put a bit of a fright into the Sounders early, but in the end, a goal is going to put away this tie and send the hosts back to the MLS Cup. We just can't see a team that is this stacked with Clint Dempsey, Bruin, Loderio and the rest ultimately coughing up this advantage.
MLS Odds: Seattle 1, Houston 1
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