Toronto FC and Seattle Sounders clash in the MLS on Saturday with both teams looking to bounce back from defeats in their previous outings. These are the two sides who have appeared in the most MLS Cup finals in the last six years and with their results looking similar in recent weeks, there appears to be little to separate them at the moment.
Toronto FC are coming off a 2-1 home defeat to Columbus Crew in their previous MLS fixture with Jesus Jimenez pulling one back in the second half after going two goals down. That result leaves them in the bottom three in the Eastern Conference, six points off the playoff places.
Despite that result, there has been huge excitement in Toronto following the arrival of Lorenzo Insigne from Napoli. Although he is unlikely to go straight into the team, manager Bob Bradley will be looking to build on the buzz surrounding the Italian forward to get their season back on track.
It is not all doom and gloom for Toronto as they claimed two straight home wins prior to the defeat to Columbus Crew. Their major problem remains a vulnerable backline that has failed to keep a single clean sheet this season.
Seattle Sounders also suffered a home defeat last time out in the MLS as they were beaten 2-1 by Montreal.
That was the first defeat in eight MLS matches for Seattle Sounders, who have also claimed five wins in that run. Brian Schmetzer’s men continue to hold on to that final playoff spot in the West, although Portland Timbers are breathing down their necks with just one point separating both teams.
One thing that has hampered Seattle Sounders is a poor record on their travels as they have claimed just one win from their last four away matches. Their struggles on the road could be attributed to a leaky defence which has kept just one clean sheet away from home all season.
How the bookies view it
The bookies appear to be split on this one with a win for Toronto FC priced at 7/4 by bet365 while a Seattle Sounders victory is valued at 6/4 by SBK. A draw is set at odds of 37/13 by SBK.
Head to head
Seattle Sounders have an 11-4 advantage with two draws from 17 previous matches against Toronto FC. The Sounders claimed a 3-1 victory in the last meeting between both teams back in 2019.
Players to watch
Toronto FC will be looking to Jesus Jimenez to maintain his fine scoring form having found the net eight times this season. The Spanish forward was also on target in the defeat to Columbus Crew and is priced at 7/5 by bet365 to find the net on Sunday.
With striker Raul Ruidiaz still out injured, wide men Jordan Morris and Cristian Roldan will be the ones to watch for Seattle Sounders having scored a combined eight goals this season. Bet365 has Morris at 2/1 to score anytime on Sunday while also offering 10/3 on Roldan in the same market.
Anything else catch the eye?
Defending has been a major problem for both teams as they have produced over 3.5 goals in their last two meetings. A similar outcome is valued at 32/19 by SBK while over 2.5 goals is priced at 4/6 by William Hill.
There have been more goals after the break in the last two meetings between both clubs and Sunday’s clash could be tipped to follow a similar pattern at evens with Paddy Power.
This MLS match between Toronto FC and Seattle Sounders will be played on Jul 3, 2022 and kick off at 00:30. Check below for our tipsters best Toronto FC vs Seattle Sounders prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
