US Open Cup Pick: Sporting Kansas City vs. Seattle Sounders

Fresh off one of their most impressive wins in franchise history, the Seattle Sounders will aim for another statement win, this time in the finals of the US Open Cup against Sporting Kansas City.

Right now Kansas City is favored by soccer odds makers at +110 while Seattle can be had at an attractive offering of +220. The public is pounding the UNDER on a total of 2.5 goals, with the line getting pushed to -140.

Sporting Kansas City

After failing to get any points in a three-game, 10-day stretch, the Royals finally stopped the bleeding with a 1-0 road win over the New England Revolution over the weekend. 

In a match where legitimate chances were few and far between, Kansas City scraped together the necessary quality to get the one goal and three points. Teal Bunbury scored midway through the first half, and the Royals defense stood firm from there. 

A win is a win - and boy, was it ever an important one. With the New York Red Bulls losing their match, Kansas City leaped ahead, and the team's now tied at the top alongside the red-hot Houston Dynamo. 

Despite some inconsistency at times, the Royals have to be ecstatic with their position at the moment. They have more wins (12) than any other team in the Eastern Conference. 

Seattle Sounders 

If there's any team even close to the form of the Dynamo right now, it's the Sounders. They're unbeaten over their previous six games and have won two straight heading into Wednesday's encounter in KC. 

This past weekend was one of the finest ever if you're a Sounders fan. They humiliated the L.A. Galaxy at home, beating them 4-0 to push themselves within seven points of the top of the conference. 

The goals came from all over the place. Eddie Johnson, Fredy Montero, Alex Caskey, and Andy Rose all got their names on the score-sheet in the thrashing at CenturyLink Field, which hosted over 60,000 spectators for the match. 

Such a huge win has to help confidence tremendously, but the Sounders need not take their collective feet off the gas. They can't afford a hangover, and you'd be a fool to think the Royals are going to let Seattle waltz all over them here, especially with a trophy on the line. 

Soccer Pick 

Normally, you'd think any team would prefer playing in their own stadium, but that may not be the case for Kansas City. 

The Royals haven't won a match at Livestrong Sporting Park since June 16, a stretch that spans four games. Along with San Jose, Kansas City has the best road record (6-2-4) in the MLS, but they'll have to buckle down and focus on Wednesday to protect their home turf. 

Plus, it's not as if the Royals have been dreadful at home. They might be struggling a little bit right now, but they've still managed six wins and two draws in 11 matches on their pitch. 

The Sounders meanwhile have been making a living out of getting draws away from Seattle. They have six ties in 11 road matches, along with three wins and two defeats. Let it also be noted that this team has won this competition three straight years. 

It's hard to ignore what the Sounders were able to do to the Galaxy, especially with Kansas City not playing at their best right now. As a result, we think the visitors may just have enough in the tank to win.