Seattle Sounders vs FC Cincinnati: Brandon Vazquez And Brenner Have Been Excellent 

• Seattle Sounders will take on FC Cincinnati this Tuesday at the Lumen Field  
• Seattle Sounders have won two of their last three matches in the MLS
• FC Cincinnati are on a two-game winning run in the MLS

Seattle Sounders vs FC Cincinnati Odds

Odds taken from BetMGM. Click on the odds below and place your bet.

Seattle Sounders vs FC Cincinnati Pick

FC Cincinnati to win (+260)

This should be a tense game with FC Cincinnati still not having confirmed their spot in the playoffs among the Eastern Conference sides and Seattle Sounders desperately in need of a win to keep themselves in the hunt for a playoff spot among the Western Conference sides.

FC Cincinnati are currently in sixth place on the Eastern Conference standings with quite a few teams on their tail with three games to go. The Seattle Sounders are currently in 10th place on the Western Conference standings and can’t afford to drop any more points. They have to win as many as possible to stand a chance of making the playoffs. The two sides have only met once previously, with the Seattle Sounders coming out on top quite comfortably in that tie.

However, that game took place a while back and FC Cincinnati have greatly improved since. They have momentum.

Previous Meetings

The only meeting between the two sides took place back in 2019. The two sides were very different back then. FC Cincinnati had just joined the MLS and the Seattle Sounders were one of the strongest sides in the league at the time. The Sounders dispatched an emerging FC Cincinnati side 4-1.

Cincinnati made the perfect start, going a goal up in the 13th minute, thanks to Leonardo Bertone but Seattle quickly found their groove. Kelvin Leerdam scored 14 minutes later before Jordan Morris got two before half-time to put Seattle 3-1. Raul Ruidiaz added another to make it 4-1 before full-time.

The Sounders showed a level of authority that has been characteristic of them for almost a decade but they seem to have lost it this season. It’s a bit surprising, considering they won the CONCACAF Champions League this season as well, becoming the first MLS team to do so. The team probably needs a rebuild now and looks like it’s at the end of a cycle.

Sounders Lose In Massive Clash Against Whitecaps

The Seattle Sounders lost 2-1 to the Vancouver Whitecaps over the weekend. This was a massive tie with the Whitecaps now going a place above the Sounders in the Western Conference table. Things are really tight among the teams hoping to make the playoff spots and even a draw would’ve been fine in hindsight.

The Sounders now have a real uphill task and might be out of steam in this chase for the playoff spots. The game essentially ended after Pedro Vite and Julian Gressel got goals in the first half, giving the Sounders too much to do in an away tie. Will Bruin got one back for the Sounders in the 89th minute but it was too little too late.

Ruidiaz Might Need Competition

Raul Ruidiaz has been a consistent presence for the Seattle Sounders in the last couple of seasons and had one of his best campaigns last season, scoring 17. This season, he has only managed to find the back of the net nine times and isn’t really helping the team in any other way bar goals. His aerial, pressing and creative numbers are all quite low.

He’s also 32 years old now and it looks like the team might need some fresh legs up front. He still offers some threat but an appearance off the bench might suit him best since he can’t contribute in other ways. In many ways, he’s emblematic of Seattle’s struggles this season.

Defense Has Been Poor All Season

The Sounders have conceded 42 goals this season but the underlying numbers suggest that they’re fortunate to have not conceded more. They have an expected goal against value of 45.1, which suggests that they’ve been sluggish at the back. With the attack and backline not being in sync, it’s hard to see the club push past the teams they’re set to face in the coming weeks. The only thing they have got going for them is their reputation from previous seasons and a team can lose that very quickly in the world of professional sports. The MLS is no different to most professional leagues in that aspect.

Brenner Gets FC Cincinnati All Three Points

FC Cincinnati forward Brenner continued his good form in recent weeks by scoring a brace against Real Salt Lake over the weekend to give FC Cincinnati a vital three points in their bid to make the playoffs. Maikel Chang had given Real Salt Lake the lead in the 35th minute but Brenner helped FC Cincinnati equalize just before half-time.

FC Cincinnati never looked back after that and Brenner got his second in the 76th minute to give them all three points. With three games to go in the regular season, this was a massive victory for FC Cincinnati. They’re now in sixth place and just need to keep this form going for a few more games to round off an impressive regular season.

Brandon Vazquez And Brenner Have Been Excellent

Most teams only have one recognized goalscorer but FC Cincinatti have got two this season in Brandon Vazquez and Brenner. The two have combined for 30 goals and also got 10 assists between them. As long as the two of them are a constant, no side will enjoy playing against FC Cincinnati. We’ve already mentioned how poor Seattle have been defensively this season. It wouldn’t be surprising at all if the two find the back of the net against them in the upcoming tie.

Haven’t Lost A Match Since Mid-July

FC Cincinnati have been one of the in-form teams in the league for a while now. The team hasn’t lost a game in over two months and it’s hard for the Seattle Sounders to do much to stop that. In this period, FC Cincinnati have even beaten the likes of Philadelphia Union. The side has really grown in confidence and the entire organization deserves a lot of credit for taking FC Cincinnati to this point.

They must now go through with all this progress by making it to the playoffs. Their performances at the very least merit that. They might not have enough experience in the tank to make it to the latter stages of the playoffs but they’ve shown that they’re capable of matching anyone on their day this season. They are still a fairly new side to the league and beating the Seattle Sounders, a veteran side as far as the league is considered would really send a message to the rest of the league and history matters little in individual match-ups.

How to Watch Seattle Sounders vs FC Cincinnati