Don't miss the MLS action from CenturyLink Field at 9:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 21, 2016. Catch every moment of the match live on FOX Sports 1.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Seattle Sounders +110
Portland Timbers +220
Draw +230
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
To say that this season has been a brutal disappointment for both of these teams would be an understatement. A Portland team which excelled so well on the road at the end of last season has yet to win outside of Providence Park all season long, yet a Seattle team which has historically been so dominant at home is just 6-1-5 in its 12 matches here this season. That's why both of these teams are struggling just to make headway in the West.
Seattle is a +110 moneyline favorite, a seemingly short line for a team which has been in good form, albeit against somewhat suspect competition.
The total is set at a flat 2.5.
Key Injuries
Erik Friberg left last week's match for the Sounders with a quad injury. He's back in training at this point, but it's up in the air whether he will or will not play this weekend against the Timbers. Roman Torres and Aaron Kovar remain long-term absentees.
The Timbers have help coming on the horizon, but whether the troops will be back with their marching orders remains up in the air. Darren Mattocks is ahead of schedule with his recovery from his hamstring injury suffered in July, and he could be back as early as this weekend. Zarek Valentin and Ben Zemanski both remain question marks as well.
Recent Form
We've mentioned the good form which the Sounders are in, and it's largely thanks to the play of Clint Dempsey. He had a hat trick against Orlando two weekends ago and parlayed that into a successful game against Real Salt Lake last week in which he didn't score but was a catalyst for a great offensive 90 minutes in which the Sounders were dominant.
The Timbers are flat out running out of time this year. They have to pick up some points on the road at some point, and losing 2-0 to D.C. United last weekend didn't help that issue any. The home team has won four straight matches overall in Portland matches, and that doesn't figure to change any time soon.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
The Sounders are playing too well right now to fade, and a lot of it is because of Dempsey. He's always been the glue to this team, and when he's playing well, the club generally is as well. With Dempsey in top form, that's just opening up everything else for the rest of this offense, and a Portland defense which has already conceded 36 times this year might end up being a little bit vulnerable.
The Timbers have just played so poorly on the road that it doesn't pay to back them in this spot. Though we can certainly see a situation play out where Dempsey goes MIA once again and the rest of the Sounders end up playing a lackluster game which results in a 0-0 or 1-1 draw, we would bet that the magnitude of this game will create an amped up atmosphere, one in which the Sounders usually thrive in, particularly at home.
MLS Odds: Seattle 3, Portland 0
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