Seattle Sounders vs Austin FC Prediction: No Chance for Austin FC!

The round 1 of the new campaign is over and round 2 begins with Seattle Sounders facing Austin FC at the Lumen Field. It's hardly a surprise to see Seattle Sounders slump to a defeat on the opening day after their poor performance during preseason. And for Austin FC, they had put in a lot of work during preseason, so to chew a defeat on the opening day is quite a pity.

Seattle Sounders lost the opening game against Los Angeles FC by 2 goals to 1 away from home. And Austin FC lost to Minnesota United by 2 goals to 1 at home. Both clubs are back in round 2 and their objective is to win and put the mind of their fans to rest.

Seattle Sounders

Seattle Sounders still looked haunted by their preseason monsters and it comes as no surprise to see them slump to a defeat on opening day. They played away from home against Los Angeles FC and they lost 2-1. Seattle Sounders were 2-goals down by the 55th minute before Petro de la Vega converted a penalty in the 73rd minute to reduce the deficit. Despite the result, Seattle Sounders were able to dominate the possession (56%) and also take more shots on target (7). They also created 2 big chances during the game.

Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer set up the team to play a 4-4-2 flat formation against Inter Miami in the first game. The team managed to control the game well against a star studded side. However, with goal scoring opportunities at premium, the attackers will need to be more clinical in front of goal. Raul Ruidiaz and Jordan Morris both led the attack line and they failed to find the net despite having 4 shots directed on target. Raul Ruidiaz is also a doubt for the game against Austin FC. He was substituted by Daniel Musovski in the 58th minute after picking up an injury.

Brian Schmetzer might want to set up the team to be more proactive on the counter attack as it was lacking in the game against Inter Miami. The statistics showed they had 0 counter attacking play throughout the game. 

Austin FC

Austin FC are going to want a solid response in this game after losing the opening game. Losing at home on opening day has a way of breaking confidence within the team but they need a rebuild ahead of a long and difficult season.

Austin hosted Minnesota United at home on the opening day of the season and they lost by 2 goals to 1. Minnesota United got the opening goal in the 34th minute and doubled the lead in the 90th minute. 4 minutes into extra time Guilherme Biro scored the only goal for Austin FC. 

There were lots of issues with the style Austin FC played in the game against Minnesota. Josh Wolff opted for the 4-2-3-1 formation and it was a disaster especially for the midfielders. The team failed to keep the cohesion that was required and they paid for it. Despite conceding 2 goals, Brad Stuver was by far the best player on the pitch. He made 8 saves during the game and it would have been worse without him. 

According to the statistics, Austin FC created only 1 big chance all game and they had only 2 shots on target. 

Ahead of the trip to Seattle, Josh Wolff will have a lot of work to do to get these players playing better. Maybe it's time to ditch the 4-2-3-1 setup and play something else or get the players to train hard and fit into the same setup. Either way, Austin FC needs a lot of help in the coming season. 

Head to Head

Seattle Sounders and Austin FC played 6 games against each other according to the h2h data. And Seattle Sounders won 3, while Austin won 1 and they drew 2 matches.

Analysis and Predictions

Seattle Sounders appear to be a better pick not really because they are a fantastic team but they have the advantage of playing at home and Austin FC isn't just playing as a proper team yet. So Seattle Sounders are expected to capitalize on their advantage and get the win. 

According to the h2h, Austin FC have not kept a clean sheet in the last 5 meetings. Seattle Sounders scored first in 4 of the last 5 meetings and in the last 6 meetings, there were less than 4.5 cards.

• Seattle Sounders to Win FT at 1.6 Odds
• Seattle Sounders to Win FT at 1.6 Odds
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