The opening weekend of the MLS 2023 season continues on Sunday evening when two former MLS Cup champions meet at Lumen Field as the Seattle Sounders take on Colorado Rapids in the season opener for both teams.
These two teams both missed out on the postseason last term and will be eager to be a part of the end of season showcase this time around. Seattle were comforted by the fact they won the Champions League last year but both will want much better campaigns this time around.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live and in full on Apple TV. This game is free so you don’t need to subscribe to the MLS season pass to watch. It is also available with the bookmaker streams too.
Seattle Sounders
The Seattle Sounders can be excused of a poor MLS campaign last season. Winning the Champions League was a huge thing for the MLS as a whole let alone their club and while most judges thought they would improve once the emotions of that win had died down, they could never quite find the consistency within their form or their personnel to go on a run which would have led them to the postseason. Their Champions League defence doesn’t begin for a couple of weeks so they have no distractions here.
Seattle have already started their season having competed in the Club World Cup earlier in the month. That tournament wasn’t the success that they wanted it to be but it was a competitive event which Seattle would have prepared well for so they have the advantage of being a little more tuned up. They also have their best players fit and ready to go which was a real issue for them last season. They will be confident of starting out with a home win.
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Colorado Rapids
I think when a lot of people expected big things of the Colorado Rapids last term and that was justified when you consider they topped the Western Conference standings the season before, however a lot of other teams improved and the Rapids seemed to stagnate and at no stage could they find the consistency which was needed to launch a push for a spot in the playoffs. Doing that will be their immediate aim this season.
Two things need to happen for Colorado to be successful this season. The moneyball approach needs to have identified someone who can find the net 15 times over the course of the campaign. The second thing is their away form just has to improve and it has to do so dramatically too. They picked up just eight points on their travels last season and won just one of 17 matches and if their away form lets them down to that extend this time around they will struggle once again.
Betting
I expect to see more from Colorado Rapids this season but whether they are going to be disadvantaged by the fact that Seattle Sounders have already got their campaign underway in the Club World Cup remains to be seen. Even if the Rapids are competitive in this match I find it hard to believe that they will contain a full strength Seattle Sounders attack who should have conditions to suit their style perfectly.
Whether Raul Ruidiaz is fit to play or it is Heber through the middle for the Sounders, the likes of one of them, Jordan Morris, Nico Lodeiro and Cristian Roldan are all huge attacking threats for the home side and with them up to competitive speed I expect a fast start from Seattle in this match. When Seattle are on it at home they can really purr and fuelled by the motivation of failing in MLS last season, I expect to see their best here. You can get almost odds against on Seattle scoring two or more and that looks decent enough to me.
Tips
Back Seattle Sounders – Over 1.5 goals for a 3/10 stake at 1.91 with Betfair
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