Los Angeles FC vs Seattle Sounders Prediction & Betting Tips - Major League Soccer

Prediction published on 24/02/2024, 07:59  by Joseph King in Major League Soccer Predictions

2022 MLS Cup champions LAFC will look to get back to the summit of American soccer when they host the Seattle Sounders to open the 2024 MLS season. LAFC missed out on the opportunity to become the first team to win back-to-back MLS Cups in over a decade after losing 2-1 to Columbus in the 2023 final. Los Angeles is considered one of the top contenders  for the coming season as the bookmakers have them listed as the second favorites (behind Inter Miami) to claim the MLS Cup as well as the Supporters’ Shield (awarded to the team with the best regular season record). The Black and Gold finished the previous campaign as the third-seed in the Western Conference after amassing a record of 14 wins, 10 draws and 10 defeats. It was something of a down year as far as the regular season goes as LAFC were expected to top the West once again following their Supporters’ Shield triumph in 2022.

Seattle put together a solid 2023 season, finishing in the second-seed with a final regular season record of 14 wins, 11 draws and nine defeats. The team’s performance was markedly better than the 2022 campaign which saw the Sounders finish 11th, missing out on the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. They’ll be out for revenge here after losing in the 2023 MLS Cup Western Conference semifinals to LAFC by a score of 1-0. The Sounders made waves in the transfer market, paying a reported $7.5 million to lock up the services of winger Pedro de la Vega from Lanus, a club record transfer fee. The hope is that de la Vega can provide a needed boost to a team that managed to score just 1.18 goals per match last season (ninth-lowest in the MLS).