The MLS season has reached the business end as the Western Conference semi-final is upon us where Seattle Sounders will play host to Los Angeles FC at Lumen Field.
Second-placed Seattle have the home advantage when they take on third-placed Los Angeles in this clash, with a place in the conference final against either Houston Dynamo or Sporting Kansas City.
We'll take a look at the match-up and provide you with our best free soccer betting picks to see if we can earn you some extra cash while you enjoy the action.
Learn more about how to bet on the MLS playoffs here.
Seattle Sounders vs Los Angeles FC information
- Sunday, November 26th 2023
- 21:30 ET kick-off
- Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington
Season so far
Seattle had a very strong season in the Western Conference which saw them claim a second-place finish with a record of 14 wins, 11 draws and nine defeats in 34 games with 41 goals and 32 goals conceded.
The Sounders conceded just one goal in their opening four games, but won only two of them against Colorado Rapids and Real Salt Lake, before losing to FC Cincinnati and drawing with LA FC.
They followed that up with three wins in a row, before just two wins in their next four games saw their momentum halted. They then lost three out of four against Austin FC, Vancouver Whitecaps and San Jose Earthquakes, which took them into a run of five straight games without victory.
That run finally came to an end with consecutive wins against Houton and Vancouver, before another long winless run of four games. That final defeat was their last of the season though as they ended with a nine-game unbeaten run which included four wins.
Their playoff run began against FC Dallas with a 2-0 home win, before a 3-1 defeat in game 2 took the series to sudden death where they claimed a hard-fought 1-0 win to progress to this clash.
Los Angeles had a near identical season to Seattle by earning themselves 14 wins, 10 draws and 10 defeats in 34 games with 54 goals scored and 39 goals conceded.
LA FC went unbeaten in their first eight games of the season with five wins against the likes of Portland Timbers, New England Revolution, FC Dallas, Austin FC and LA Galaxy.
The first defeat came against the San Jose Earthquakes, but they then went unbeaten in their next four games to get back on track as the favorites to win the MLS Cup. But their form crashed after that with five defeats in their next seven games, including in a double-header against Houston.
Two draws with San Jose and Minnesota United and two wins against St Louis City FC and Colorado Rapids followed before three more defeats on the spin threatened to take their season off track completely.
They managed to recover though with just one more defeat in their final seven games with three victories against LA Galaxy, Minnesota and Austin FC which set up a playoff clash with Vancouver.
LA made short work of the Whitecaps with a dominant 5-2 win in game one, before completing the sweep with a 1-0 win on the road in game 2.
Soccer picks: LA FC to win @ +200
In the two games that these two sides played against each other this season, LA FC were undefeated.
The first game was a boring 0-0 draw early in the season in Seattle, before the Sounders came to Hollywood and got turned over thanks to a first minute goal from Mateusz Bogusz.
Los Angeles managed more goals this season than Seattle and have got more star power in their team with the likes of Carlos Vela, Denis Bouanga and Giorgio Chiellini which should set them up for a big game like this.
Add to the fact that they are the reigning champions, they know exactly what it takes to be here and get the job done. They're not as good as they were last season, that's for sure, but +200 on them to get the job done is fantastic value and well worth the bet.
Check out our review for Bovada sports betting here.
Soccer picks: Under 2.5 total goals @ -110
As previously mentioned, the two games between these teams earlier this season managed to deliver just one goal combined so expecting to see three or more in this win or go home game seems crazy.
LA FC averaged 1.58 goals scored per game this season in the MLS, while Seattle averaged just 1.2 goals per game. Defensively both teams average even less than that per game, which means this is likely to be a tight affair.
Expect not many goals and a very cagey contest, likely to be decided by a moment of magic or a set-piece on the night. At -110 there is fantastic value in this bet, so get on it before the price drifts out and you end up missing out on it.
Check out our review for BetUS sports betting here.
