Leagues Cup Quarterfinals Odds & Picks: Sporting KC vs Leon & Seattle Sounders vs Tigres
- Four US teams from MLS take on four from Mexico’s Liga MX in the tournament starting Tuesday
- Sporting KC is strong at home while Tigres may be without star French striker Gignac
- See odds and best bets for the Leagues Cup Quarterfinals of Sporting KC vs Leon & Seattle Sounders vs Tigres below
North America’s Major League Soccer teams clash with their counterparts from Mexico’s Liga MX in the second Leagues Cup competition starting Tuesday.
It is an eight-team, single-elimination affair with four teams from each league.
The first two rounds take place in the USA – with the semifinals scheduled for September.
The final, meanwhile, will be in Las Vegas, also in September.
In the quarterfinals on Tuesday, Sporting Kansas City meets Club Leon, while Seattle hosts Tigres UANL.
The other two quarterfinals, this week, pits New York City FC against Pumas UNAM on Wednesday and Orlando City SC vs Santos Laguna on Thursday.
The games will be televised live on ESPN2, ESPN+ and the Spanish language TUDN network.
Sporting KC vs Leon Odds
| Matchup | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sporting KC vs Leon | SKC -0.5 (+135) | LEO +0.5 (-225) | SKC +155 | LEO +170 | DRAW +245 | Ov 2.5 (-110) | Un 2.5 (-120) |
Odds as of August 10 at DraftKings
Sporting Kansas City vs Club Leon Prediction
Sporting Kansas City and Club Leon will be appearing in the Leagues Cup for the first time when they meet on Tuesday.
It will also be the first game between the two teams.
In Major League Soccer, Sporting KC currently sits on top of the Western Conference.
Leon, meanwhile, is in sixth place in Mexico’s Liga MX Apertura competition.
The US outfit will be confident of making the most of home advantage after winning five times, drawing three and losing only once at its own HQ in this MLS campaign.
It means that the oddsmakers at DraftKings rate Sporting Kansas as a slight favorite at +155.
The game kicks off at 8:00 pm ET at the Children’s Mercy Park Stadium.
In competitive action against Mexican sides, Sporting has a positive record.
It defeated Cruz Azul in 2014 and Toluca in 2019 – with both ties in the CONCACAF Champions League.
Kansas is in good form in MLS with just one defeat in the last eight games.
But it was defeated, however, by Monterrey in the semifinal of the competition in 2019.
Kansas is in good form in MLS with just one defeat in the last eight games. It has scored in every home game in 2021.
That solitary setback in a 2-1 reverse against FC Dallas was, though, its only home defeat so far – in its most recent outing in Kansas on July 31.
⏱️FINAL!
Bringing back home that “W”!
💪🏼🔥🇳🇬🐔0-1🦁#OurPride 🦁 pic.twitter.com/TDZRRJKtWR
— Club Leon EN (@clubleon_en) August 6, 2021
The team’s leading striker Daniel Salloi is the joint second marksman in MLS with 10 goals.
Leon was the Mexican Apertura Champion last season.
It opened this season with a 4-0 defeat at Pachuca. But it has since recovered with a 2-1 defeat of Tijuana and a 1-0 win at Queretaro.
Meanwhile, it was beaten 2-1 by Cruz Azul in July in the Mexican Campeon De Campeones match played in Los Angeles in July.
To sum up, Kansas is in a buoyant mood presently. And it is deep into its MLS campaign while Leon has played just four times since May. So it will, in comparison, be undercooked – meaning a home win is likely.
Pick: Sporting KC +155
Seattle Sounders vs Tigres UANL Prediction
Seattle is a run of poor form as it prepares to host reigning CONCACAF Champions League holders Tigres.
The American team has lost three times in its last five MLS games. However, it is in second place in the Western Conference.
Tigres, meanwhile, is in 10th place in the Liga MX Apertura after winning just one of its opening three games.
Seattle Sounders vs Tigres UANL Odds
| Matchup | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Sounders vs Tigres UANL | SEA +0.5 (-215) | TIG -0.5 (+125) | SEA +170 | TIG +150 | DRAW +260 | Ov 2.5 (-105) | Un 2.5 (-125) |
It may be missing its veteran all-time leading striker Andre-Pierre Gignac who has an ankle injury after returning from the French Olympic team.
Even so, Tigres undoubtedly has an international pedigree after reaching the final of the FIFA Club World Cup in February.
It was, eventually, beaten 1-0 by mighty Bayern Munich.
These teams met in the CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal in 2013.
It is, therefore, a slight favorite with DraftKings at +150. At Lumen Field, the kickoff is at 10:00 pm ET.
These teams met in the CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal in 2013 with Seattle progressing 3-2 on aggregate.
After a 1-0 win in Mexico for Tigres, Seattle triumphed 3-1 at home.
There was a 1-1 draw at home for Seattle in its most recent fixture against FC Dallas.
Meanwhile, Tigres won its opening Liga MX Apertura game 2-1 against Tijuana.
Ahead of Leagues Cup, we check in with @GolazodelGringo of @FMFSoM to see what’s up with the powerhouse that is Tigres https://t.co/nfXvSl0YLX
— Sounder At Heart (@sounderatheart) August 9, 2021
Subsequently, however, it lost 3-1 at Toluca and then drew 1-1 at home against Santos Laguna last weekend.
In conclusion, Tigres is only just getting going while Seattle is in mid-season. But the Mexican side’s international experience should shine shone through and secure a win.
Pick: Tigres UANL +150
John Dillon is a leading member of the UK's sporting media, having spent three decades as a national newspaper soccer and sports writer, broadcaster and author. He has covered five World Cups, six European Championships and was Chief Sports Writer at the Daily Express for 14 years.
