Columbus Crew vs. Seattle Sounders Prediction, Preview, and Odds - 8/21/21
Columbus vs. Seattle
Seattle has the most points in the Western Conference and they hit the road on Saturday in a non-conference affair to face a reeling Columbus club.
Seattle is unbeaten in their last four matches, and they have won their last three. While they have the most points in the West, they are only one point clear of Sporting Kansas City. The Sounders lead MLS with a goal differential of +17 and they also lead the league only conceding 16 goals.
Columbus is not only winless in their last five matches but has lost all five. They have fallen to the eighth spot in the East and on the season, they have a goal differential of -4.
This is the first match of the season between these clubs.
Defense This Time Around
After a 6-2 throttling of Portland, the Sounders played great defense in their last match, which was a 1-0 road win over FC Dallas. Raúl Ruidíaz scored his MLS leading 14th goal for the only one of the match and did so only 20 seconds after coming in as a substitute. Seattle got the W even though they lost the time of possession battle (65% to 35%), was doubled up on shots (18-9), and only had one shot on target. The Sounders have kept a clean sheet in three of their last five matches.
To say Ruidíaz is in solid form would be an understatement, as he scored the lone goal in the Sounders' last match and netted two in each of their previous two matches. Fredy Montero ranks second on the squad with six goals and João Paulo is among the league leaders with seven assists. DF Nouhou Tolo is listed as questionable for this match. Seattle has won their last three road matches.
Attack Has Fallen Flat
Columbus has played their last two matches on the road, losing both, where they failed to score a goal. In their last match they lost to the New York Red Bulls 1-0 where they gave up the lone goal in the 33rd minute. While winning the time of possession game (56% to 44%) they were outshot 16-9 and only had five shots on target while giving up five. The attack, or lack thereof, las been the main issue for the Crew on the season, as they rank second to last in the East with 21 goals in 20 matches.
Lucas Zelarayán leads the Crew with six goals, with no goals in his last three matches, and Gyasi Zardes has four goals. Pedro Santos leads them with three assists and Zelarayán is the only other player with more than one with two. Columbus has been hit hard by the injury bug this season and for this match and MF Luis Díaz, Marlon Hairston, and MF Josh Williams are the latest to land on the out list for this match.
Pick: Seattle Sounders +200
Columbus is reeling, as they have lost five straight matches and have fallen back in the Eastern Conference standings. They have been shut out in their last two matches and their attack has been the main issue on the season. That is not good facing a Sounders’ team that is coming off a shutout win and has conceded the fewest goals in MLS. Seattle has been solid on the road this season and look for that to continue in this match. They are simply better all-over the pitch and they will get the W in this non-conference affair and send the Crew to their sixth straight loss.
Total: Over 2.5 goals
Even with the Crew being shut out in their last two matches I am leaning towards the Over in this match. Their last two encounters have been on the road and while they lost both matches in their last two at home they scored two goals in each. While Seattle only scored one goal in their last match they scored six in their previous one and their attack is a more than solid one. I see Columbus pressing the issue on the attack, as they need a win and a draw will not help much. Their pressure will lead to a goal but also leave their defense vulnerable. Seattle will take advantage of that and score multiple goals, which is why the Over is the pick in this match.
