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Seattle Sounders vs San Jose Earthquakes Odds & Preview: MLS is Back July 10

Daniel Coyle

by Daniel Coyle in Soccer News

Updated Mar 10, 2021 · 12:53 PM PST

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MLS ball on the display before the Chicago Fire and Portland Timbers an MLS soccer match, Saturday, March 31, 2018, in Bridgeview, Ill. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)
  • MLS is Back Group B action kicks off on Friday when the Seattle Sounders take on the San Jose Earthquakes
  • The defending MLS Cup champion Sounders will be aiming to extend their unbeaten streak to nine matches, while the Earthquakes search for their first win since last August
  • Read on to get all the odds and insight into Friday night’s MLS is Back group stage matchup

Two clubs headed in opposite directions clash on Friday as the defending MLS champion Seattle Sounders take on the freefalling San Jose Earthquakes in MLS is Back Group B action. And while the Chicago Fire have recently been added to Group B this morning with Nashville SC being sent home from the tournament, today we’ll focus on the first match in Group B to be played on Friday night at 9:00 pm EST.

Seattle Sounders vs San Jose Earthquakes Odds

Team Spread Moneyline Total
Seattle Sounders 0.0, -0.5 (-125) +105 O 3.0 (+100)
San Jose Earthquake 0.0, +0.5 (+100) +215 U 3.0 (-125)
Draw n/a +265 n/a

Odds taken July 9

Sounders Poised to Extend Dominance Over Earthquakes

The Seattle Sounders will be aiming to extend their unbeaten streak in MLS play to eight matches when they battle San Jose in their Group B matchup on Friday night at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. Pegged as attractive +105 favorites in their group stage opener, the Sounders maintained the momentum that carried them to an MLS Cup title last fall in their first two outings of 2020, recording a season-opening 2-1 victory over the Chicago, followed by a 1-1 draw with Columbus, and now sport a sparkling 7-1-0 record in their past eight league contests.

The Sounders have played stingy defense since embarking on their current tear last September, outscoring opponents by an overall 17-7 margin and keeping clean sheets on three occasions. And while Seattle struggled to generate offense in their first two dates on the 2020 MLS schedule, they are likely to get a lift from the return of club captain Nicolas Lodeiro.

Hobbled by a hamstring injury that forced him to miss the first two matches of the MLS season, as well as a pair of CONCACAF Champions League dates in February, Lodeiro has benefited from the pause in the MLS season and is expected to be available for Friday’s contest. The Uruguayan midfielder ranked third on the Sounders in 2019 with nine goals, to go along with a club-leading 11 assists.

However, the Rave Green attacker to watch in Friday’s contest is Raul Ruidiaz. Seattle’s leading goalscorer last season, Ruidiaz has thrived in past tournament action, scoring seven goals and adding four helpers in just six appearances over the past two MLS Cup playoffs, and is worthy of consideration as a +400 favorite to pot the first goal in Friday’s date with the Earthquakes.

Seattle Sounders vs San Jose Earthquakes Stats

Seattle Sounders
VS
San Jose Earthquakes
2nd in Western Conference (56 points) Standing in MLS (2019) 8th in Western Conference (44 points)
1.53 Goals per game (2019) 1.53
1.44 Goals against per game 1.62
4-1-0 W-D-L record in past five MLS matches 0-1-4

San Jose Desperate to End Lengthy Slide

While the Sounders look to extend their unbeaten streak, the San Jose Earthquakes search for ways to end their lengthy winless streak as they prepare to hit the pitch as +215 underdogs. The Earthquakes looked poised to return to MLS Cup playoff contention last season after opening the campaign with wins in 11 of their first 22 matches. But the club failed to maintain that momentum, falling to defeat in nine of their final 12 contests, dumping the club out of the hunt for a playoff spot for the sixth time in seven years.

The Earthquakes carried over their struggles into the 2020 campaign, eking out just a single point over their two matches against Toronto FC and Minnesota United. The ability to shut down opposing attackers has been a massive problem for San Jose. The club has surrendered a worrisome 19 total goals during their current 0-1-7 run, but have managed to find the back of the net in all but three of their matches during their dismal 2-2-10 slide.

San Jose also has a mountain to climb to overcome a lengthy winless streak against Seattle. They have not beaten the Sounders in MLS action since September 2015, going 0-4-5 during that stretch, and have seen last season’s top goalscorer Chris Wondolowski fail to get on the scoresheet in his past five appearances against the Sounders.

Picks: Seattle Sounders to win (+105); Raul Ruidiaz first goal scorer (+400); Sounders win and both teams score (+190)

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