No.1 seed Los Angeles FC will host No.4 Seattle Sounders at the BMO Stadium in California on Saturday. The winners will take their place in the Western Conference final. LAFC are the betting favorites and we tell you if they can make it to the final in our MLS betting picks.
Los Angeles FC won the Western Conference final in 2022 and 2023. They seek to make it to a third successive conference final when they host the Seattle Sounders on Saturday.
The match is a repeat of last season’s Western Conference semi-final – the only difference is the venue is reversed. 12 months ago it was LAFC who won the day. A solitary goal from Denis Bouanga gave the Black and Gold a 1-0 win at Lumen Field and booked their place in a second successive conference final.
The Seattle Sounders have the chance to put the record straight on Saturday. But it won’t be easy with coach Brian Schmetzer and his team making the journey west to take on the MLS Cup betting favorites on their home ground.
Onto the match betting, and on the money line LAFC is -110 to win. The draw is +270, and a win for the Sounders is +290.
On the handicap game line, LAFC is -110 from a 0.5-goal disadvantage. Seattle is -120 to win with a 0.5-goal start.
In the props markets, over 2.5 goals is -120, and under 2.5 is -110.
LAFC is -115 to score over 1.5 goals and also -115 to score under. Seattle is -232 to score over 0.5 goals and +182 to score under 0.5.
LA is -225 to qualify. Seattle is +162.
More options can be found on our LAFC vs. Seattle betting table. The 2024 MLS Cup odds we have used are from our recommended soccer betting partners.
After the shock elimination of Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami team, 2022 MLS Cup winners LAFC are the new betting favorites to win the 2024 edition.
In the latest MLS Cup odds, LAFC is +187 to win the cup for the second time in three seasons.
Elsewhere, the LA Galaxy is the second favorite at +300. The Galaxy are followed by Orlando City at +450, and New York City FC at +700.
The New York Red Bulls are the fifth favorite to lift the cup at +800. New York eliminated the defending champions, the Columbus Crew in two matches at the First Round stage.
They now face their cross-town rivals, NYCFC in the Hudson River Derby, with the winners qualifying for the Eastern Conference final.
No.1 seed Los Angeles FC finished the regular season as the top team in the Western Conference with 64 points from 34 matches. The Black and Gold won 19, drew seven, and lost eight.
LA had a goal differential of +20, scoring 63, and conceded just 43. Three teams scored more goals in the Western Conference and only two conceded fewer.
LA needed all three matches to see off the challenge of the Vancouver Whitecaps in the first round of the postseason playoffs.
Los Angeles won the opening match of the series 2-1 at the BMO Stadium. Vancouver hit back to win 3-0 in the second match at BC Place, despite LA having more possession (55.8%) and shots on target (5-2).
In the deciding match at the BMO Stadium, LA won a nervy encounter 1-0 thanks to a 62nd-minute goal by Mateusz Bogusz. Home advantage played a large part in this three-match series.
The Seattle Sounders are seeded No.4 after finishing fourth in the Western Conference with 57 points from 34 matches. The Sounders won 16, drew nine, and lost nine.
They finished the season with a goal differential of +16. Seattle scored 51 goals, making them one of the lowest scorers in the conference. A solid defense is what the Sounders are built on. Brian Schmetzer’s team only conceded 35 goals, the least amount in not just the Western Conference, but the whole of the MLS.
Seattle had home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs but only needed two matches to see off the challenge from the No.5 Houston Dynamo.
The Sounders relied on their defensive skills to see them through. The opening match was a 0-0 draw at Lumen Field, with the Sounders winning the tie 5-4 on penalties. A similar theme followed in match two with the sides playing out a 1-1 draw at Shell Energy Stadium. Seattle again came through the shootout, this time winning 7-6.
Steve Cherundolo has been the head coach of LAFC since January 2022. Cherundolo has led the Black and Gold to two successive MLS Cup finals, he clearly knows what he is doing.
Seattle will be hard to break down. We already know the tactics Brian Schmetzer and his team will employ.
We expect a tight match and don’t be surprised to see it go all the way. But we are backing Los Angeles FC to find a way to break down Seattle and believe they will win a tight game in regulation time.
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