Seattle Sounders
- Seattle Sounders begin their MLS 2026 campaign with a winnable matchup against a Colorado Rapids team that are in transition after several new signings and a tactical overhaul under new head coach Matt Wells.
- Seattle finished off their preseason with a 3-0 win over Swedish club IF Brommapojkarna and, unlike some other clubs, they can use the quality and depth in their squad.
- Osaze De Rosario, Albert Rusnák, Paul Rothrock and Jesús Ferreira all got on the scoresheet during preseason and the latter is a serious option to start this opener in a cool and damp Seattle.
- Seattle finished 14 points ahead of Colorado in the 2025 standings with 55 points compared to 41 and have had the luxury of keeping most of the squad together while adding a little fresh blood to ensure they hit the ground running in 2026.
Colorado Rapids
- The veteran coach from Tottenham will bring a structure, intensity and tempo to this Rapids squad that should make them better to watch, but their first test is against one of the Western Conference’s better sides and a team that have dominated the all-time record between the clubs.
- In preseason, Colorado showed themselves to be vulnerable at the back but with enough attacking threat to score goals if they can click in the final third.
- The Rapids won their final preseason game, beating Orlando City 4-1, but they lost earlier games 3-1 to Nashville and 4-1 to Columbus Crew.
- Striker Rafael Navarro got a brace in the win over Orlando while Djordje Mihailović remains the engine of this team.
Head-to-Head
Seattle have dominated Colorado Rapids in the all-time head-to-head, consistently outscoring them across all competitions.
Seattle
Osaze De Rosario , Albert Rusnák , Paul Rothrock and Jesús Ferreira all got on the scoresheet during preseason and the latter is a serious option to start this opener in a cool and damp Seattle.
Colorado
Striker Rafael Navarro got a brace in the win over Orlando while Djordje Mihailović remains the engine of this team.
Betting Insights
- Sounders are currently 1.47 favorites to win this matchup against Colorado who are 6.25 underdogs with a draw available at 4.35.
- The Over 2.5 goals market is priced at 1.57 because of the potential for an end-to-end game, but Colorado have enough attacking talent to score a goal.
Prediction
I’m taking a 2-1 Sounders victory because Colorado are in a transition phase under Wells.
