The East Groups do not feature any of the recent top teams from Liga MX but do feature a couple of strong MLS teams in Philadelphia and New England.
Look for the caliber of those teams and the intriguing schedule that presents intriguing home-field advantages to teams like Montreal and New York to really drive the results in this group.
How should bettors approach each division? This is Neil FitzGerald from The Game Day with your Leagues Cup East Region futures bets.
MLS Leagues Cup East Group Odds
Lines for Leagues Cup group play between MLS and Liga MX were found at bet365 Sportsbook are current as of Wednesday, July 12, at noon ET.
Leagues Cup East 1 Lines
- Philadelphia Union (-150)
- Tijuana (+225)
- Queretaro (+400)
While both Tijuana and Queretaro ended up in the bottom half of the Liga MX table last year, they have both started off this season with even records (1-1 for Qeretato and 1-1-1 for Tijuana).
In either case, they’re going to have their hands full with a Philadelphia Union squad that is one of the best in MLS.
Leagues Cup East 2 Lines
- Unam Pumas (+125)
- DC United (+175)
- CF Montreal (+250)
This group is about three mid-level teams, all trying to find their way into the higher echelon of their respective leagues.
Early results are solid for Unam Pumas as they are undefeated after their first three league games this year after finishing 14th last season.
DC United has shown flashes of high-level competitiveness but are frustratingly inconsistent, and Montreal only seems unbeatable at home.
Leagues Cup East 3 Lines
- New York City FC (+137)
- Atlas (+175)
- Toronto FC (+225)
Atlas is a mid-level Liga MX team that, unsurprisingly, has started this season with a balanced 1-1-1 record.
They have played tight games recently, so this group could be open to whichever team’s offense can find the net.
Even Toronto, with their six-game losing streak, could surprise here as their Italian superstars and supporting cast try to salvage something from this season gone awry.
Leagues Cup East 4 Lines
- New England Revolution (-110)
- New York Red Bulls (+225)
- Atletico San Luis (+275)
While Atletico San Luis have scored six goals in their first three league games this season, they finished 12th in Liga MX last season, scoring less than 1 goal per game.
This, combined with the Red Bulls difficulty scoring this season in MLS, could mean this group will come down to New England’s offense versus the opposition's defense.
The odds expect the Revolution’s offense to come to life, but they did lose to New York 2-1 in recent weeks, so this isn’t a slam dunk.
Leagues Cup East Group 1 Pick
Philadelphia Union (-150)
Philadelphia has only lost three games in their last 16 league matches, and they appear to have worked through some recent bouts of poor form with wins over Nashville and New York.
Tijuana and Queretaro are bottom-half Liga MX teams and will not be able to compete with this top MLS squad.
Leagues Cup East Group 2 Pick
CF Montréal (+250)
With Montréal hosting both group games at Stade Saputo, the (+250) odds are worth taking here as Montreal holds an impressive 8-3 record in their own stadium.
Unam Pumas and D.C. United both have a chance to take this competitive group but home-field advantage is too strong to ignore.
Leagues Cup East Group 3 Pick
Atlas (+175)
Atlas has a recent history of being a competitive team in Liga MX, and their group competition here provides Liga MX with the best chance of advancing out of the East.
Toronto FC has scored only a single goal in six games, and both they and New York FC have each independently only won one game in their last 15 league matches.
Leagues Cup East Group 4 Pick
New York Red Bulls (+225)
While New England presents as the odds-on favorite to advance out of this group, the Red Bulls beat The Revolution 2-1 only two weeks ago and outshot them 22-6 in that game played at home.
New York will get to play at home for both group matches, and this pushes the attractiveness of taking the long odds and the home team.
Leagues Cup East Group Winner Pick
Philadelphia Union
With Atlas being a potential longshot to upset Philadelphia, the other MLS teams predicted to advance here will be overmatched by a Union squad that has proven to be an elite team in MLS this season.
