Free MLS Pick Sporting KC vs. Real Salt Lake
Looking for Sporting KC vs. Real Salt Lake free picks? MLS betting sees Sporting KC taking on Real Salt Lake Sunday July 17 at Rio Tinto Stadium. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all MLS soccer matchups all season long so stay tuned for more FREE MLS predictions.
MLS Handicapping
Sporting KC vs. Real Salt Lake
Date: Sunday July 17
Time: 07:30 PM
Venue: Rio Tinto Stadium
MLS Moneyline Odds: Sporting KC -135 / Draw 260/ Real Salt Lake 320 (Bet Now!)
MLS Spread Betting Odds: Kansas City -0.5 / Salt Lake City 0.5
MLS Betting Total: O/U 2.5
Heading into this matchup, the Sporting KC are the betting favorites, with the spread set at -0.5 goals. Through 21 matches, they have won by at this margin 5 times. As for Real Salt Lake, they enter the match as 0.5-goal underdogs. Through 20 matches, they have covered this margin 14 times.
Sporting KC
As the Sporting KC travel to take on the Real Salt Lake, they hope to move above .500, as through 21 matches, they have a record of 5-5-11. This mark places them 14th in the Western Conference. Kansas City comes into this match off having played to a 1-1 draw against Minnesota Utd. So far, Sporting KC has turned in 7 performances with one goal or less. On defense, Kansas City has played 4 games in which they held their opponent to one goal or less.
Through 21 matches, Sporting KC has struggled on offense, averaging just 0.86 goals per 90 minutes. This output places them 28th in the MLS. In terms of scoring defense, Kansas City will look to tighten things up as they are giving up 1.62 goals per 90 minutes, placing them 22nd in the league.
Heading into the match, Johnny Russell leads Kansas City with 6 goals through 20 matches. Behind him is Dániel Sallói, who has also found the net 4 times. This year, goalie Tim Melia is off to a rough start, as he has a save percentage of just 57.9%, placing him 26th among MLS goalies. This performance has come with opponents taking a total of 79 shots on goal.
Real Salt Lake
The Real Salt Lake will host the Sporting KC, with an above .500 record, at 8-6-6. This mark places them 4th in the Western Conference. In their last match, Salt Lake City lost to the Atlanta Utd by a score of 2-1. So far, the Real Salt Lake have turned in 6 performances with one goal or less. While on defense, Salt Lake City’s defense has given up at least two goals 9 times this year.
So far, the Real Salt Lake are the 20th-rated scoring team, averaging 1.25 goals per 90 minutes of action. In terms of defense, Salt Lake City is near the MLS average, giving up 1.3 goals per 90 minutes (13th).
Heading into the match, Justin Meram leads Salt Lake with 3 goals through 19 matches. Behind him is Sergio Córdova, who has also found the net 3 times. In terms of goalie play, Real Salt Lake has gotten good performances from Zac MacMath. On the season, opposing teams have accumulated 95 shots on target, in which MacMath has turned home at a rate of 76.8%. This percentage is good for 3rd in the MLS.
Free Sporting KC vs. Real Salt Lake MLS Final Analysis:
When looking at how each team has fared while possessing the ball, Sporting KC has been the better squad at generating opportunites near their opponent’s goal. So far, Kansas City ranks 2nd in attacking area touches. This compares favorably to the Real Salt Lake sitting at 18th in the MLS. In addition to putting pressure on opposing defenses, Kansas City has also done a good job keeping their opponents out of the attacking zone, allowing just 2662 possessions in their 3rd of the field (6th). Salt Lake City will be looking to improve their defensive play, as opposing teams have had no problem generating looks near the goal, ranking 16th in attacking possessions allowed.
Heading into the game, Real Salt Lake holds the slight edge in their ability to generate shots, ranking 20th compared to Sporting KC at 25th. For the year, Sporting KC has turned 8.0% of their shot into goals. As for Real Salt Lake, their current shooting percentage is 11.0%. So far, 28.2% of Sporting KC’s shots have been on target. On the other side, Real Salt Lake has a season long on target percent of 33.9%. For Sporting KC, they have converted on 27.0% of these on-target shots compared to Real Salt Lake at 31.0%.
4* Free MLS Betting Pick Sporting KC ML:
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