Colorado Rapids vs Sporting KC Prediction
The Colorado Rapids will host Sporting Kansas City at 9:00 pm ET on August 7 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The two Western Conference powerhouses are vying for top-seeded positions in the playoffs. Let’s roll out our Colorado Rapids vs Sporting KC prediction!
Sporting KC has just catapulted themselves into first place with a great result against LAFC while the Sounders are slumping. A 4-1 win against LAFC and a 3-1 win against the Sounders recently are two impressive notches under their belt. They have faced difficult competition and continuously impressed.
The Rapids have been in great form as well, winning three of their last five. The only issue is they haven’t faced any decent competition since June. Their toughest game was against Real Salt Lake and they lost 3-0. Not something you want out of a team making a run for first place in the Western Conference.
Keys to the Match
Moving on with our Colorado Rapids vs Sporting KC prediction, let’s talk about the keys to the match!
Altitude. Home-field advantage is like no other when it comes to Colorado. Sporting KC have historically had plenty of trouble with playing away in Colorado. Whether or not it’s the altitude or just the maroon and white, Sporting KC will need to sort out their problems one way or another. If Sporting KC are fatigued, playing away in the mountains might spell trouble.
Downstream Game 16: Home against Sporting Kansas City #Rapids96 #COLvSKC https://t.co/E2OPHUKyo5
— Burgundy Wave (@Burgundywave) August 7, 2021
The final product. The last time these two teams faced up, Michael Barrios was lethal positionally. He was in behind the Sporting KC backline and Sporting KC had a lot of trouble keeping track of him. The passes were never there.
Nobody could connect with Barrios and left Rapids with missed opportunity after missed opportunity. They need to do the little things right to put themselves in a position to score. Maybe being at home will help them out here. Lord knows Sporting KC will be slower than ever with the altitude.
Colorado Rapids vs Sporting KC Prediction
All the talk this season has been about the Sounders, but Sporting KC have been the better team both on the field and statistically. The Rapids are another one of those teams that are below the Sounders but performing just as well. This will be their first test against a team above the middle of the pack in the Western Conference, which is always a challenge.
Not to mention they just lost their captain and best player Sam Vines, so yet another challenge. Sporting KC did lose one of their young phenoms in Gianluca Busio to Italy’s Venezia, but Sporting KC has shown all season that they are one of the deepest teams in the league.
Nobody wonders if Sporting KC will be the same while there are a few question marks about the Rapids’ defensive line. This will be a test for the Rapids and betting against tests usually pays out. Betting with the best team in the Western Conference also usually pays out. Oh, and these two teams met on June 23th. Sporting KC took that 3-1, but DraftKings has them as the underdogs. The altitude may be an issue, but either way, moneyline with Sporting KC at +220 is the play.
