As we head into the hot mid-summer months and the Gold Cup ramps up, we will see the depth of the MLS teams tested in upcoming games. As highlighted by Bob Bradley’s release last week, we may also see an increasing number of personnel changes based on year-to-date performance.
Look for those and any potential transfer window changes to slightly change the dynamics of individual matches and their respective odds.
Neil FitzGerald here from The Game Day to look at the upcoming matches for Matchday 22 in Major League Soccer.
The MLS odds I use for my betting picks are current as of 3 pm ET on June 28th at the indicated sportsbook.
Cincinnati vs New England Preview
While Cincinnati is still leading in the Supporter’s Shield race with only two losses after 19 games, they found themselves down three goals before halftime versus DC United on the weekend. Despite 17 shots, they never found their way back and will look to get back on track and extend their league-best perfect home record this week.
Bruce Arena’s Revolution are now unbeaten in six games and have won three in a row, including a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Toronto in their last match.
The Revs will look to continue to build some momentum on the road, where they are unbeaten in their previous two matches, but it will be a tough hill to climb against a strong Cincinnati squad.
Columbus vs New York Red Bulls Preview
Columbus tied NYCFC 1-1 and beat a strong Nashville squad 2-0 in their last two matches. They are now unbeaten in five games and have increasing momentum while leading MLS in goals scored (38). Look for The Crew to continue to build versus New York at home, where they’ve only lost once all season.
After a somewhat shocking 4-0 beatdown of Atlanta on the weekend, the Red Bulls have now lost only two in their last eight matches.
Despite only 34% possession in the game, New York made their five shots on goal count and continued their strong defensive play. New York has conceded only 18 goals for the second-best defensive record in MLS.
Miami vs Austin Preview
Miami are now suffering through a seven-game losing streak, including their latest 4-1 loss on the road in Philadelphia. They did outshoot the Union in that game 9-8 and held possession for almost 70% of the game, so they will look to convert some of those advantages into goals as they return home this week.
Austin is coming off back-to-back 3-0 statement wins against their state rivals Dallas and Houston. Look for Austin to take advantage of a struggling Miami squad, continue their strong play from the rivalry games and improve their road record this weekend.
Montréal vs New York City FC Preview
Fortunately for Montréal, they are playing at home again this week, where they have a 7-1 record and a six-game unbeaten streak. Their latest 1-0 home victory over a strong Nashville team was a strong statement, and they managed a rare road point with their 0-0 tie in Charlotte.
Look for Montreal to take care of business again this weekend.
NYCFC extended their streak of draws to five matches with impressive away results in Atlanta and Portland last week.
With NYCFC being winless in eleven, though, including five losses, it would be an optimistic wager to imagine them getting a result against a tough home team.
Orlando vs Chicago Preview
Orlando has only lost once in their last nine league games and are coming off impressive draws versus Philadelphia and Seattle. Look for the team to play with momentum as they keep pushing their way up the playoff standings.
Chicago has won two in a row now on the road and has found their stride. Before these last two wins, they struggled on the road but have turned a corner and look to keep the show on the road versus Orlando this week.
Betting on Chicago now is still optimistic, though, so best to wait and watch for increased consistency.
Toronto vs Salt Lake Preview
The Red’s offense has struggled all year, and their inability to score has led to a miserly three wins all season. Bob Bradley ran out of time last week and was released after two more disappointing road losses, so the team will look to impress the new gaffer in this weekend's home match.
Salt Lake has lost only twice in their previous 13 league matches, and they are unbeaten in five after a 2-2 draw versus Minnesota. This team is one of the hottest teams in the league, right
now and with a solid road record (5-3-2), they could make this match a challenge for Toronto, and the underdog odds worth tracking for you.
Dallas vs Los Angeles FC Preview
Don’t look now, but FC Dallas has lost four of their last five games. On a positive note, they are coming home after two difficult losses in Portland and Austin.
Look for FC Dallas to make it difficult for LAFC yet struggle to get the single goal they will need that will lead to points.
Just when it appeared that LAFC had bounced back into form with successive victories against Seattle and Kansas City, they gave up all three points to Vancouver in their last home game (3-2).
Look for LAFC to play strong against a struggling Dallas squad and take the lead in the Western Conference with a road win here.
● DALLAS VS LAFC: Los Angeles TO WIN (+135) FanDuel. An elite LA team catching Dallas in a lump leads to a solid wager opportunity.
Kansas City vs Vancouver Preview
Despite holding 66% possession and outshooting Chicago in their last game, Sporting KC lost 1-0. They were moving in the right direction before this three-game winless streak.
As both teams concede regularly, look for an exciting match and lots of action around the nets.
The Whitecaps generated another strong result with their first road win of the season against LAFC in their last game. The Whitecaps are unbeaten in four matches, proving dangerous for opponents and exciting to watch.
Look for a motivated Vancouver to keep their strong play going versus Kansas City and look for their second road win in a row.
● KANSAS CITY VS VANCOUVER: Vancouver TO WIN (+250) FanDuel. With KC’s recent run of bad form and Vancouver’s win over LAFC, the odds are attractive here.
Minnesota vs Portland Preview
Despite only 30% possession and being outshot 27-8 last weekend, Minnesota held the lead on a strong Salt Lake squad until the 98th minute. Look for Minnesota to build on this result and attempt to push their home record in the right direction.
After their 1-1 tie with NYCFC, Portland has only lost once in their last five league games. The Timbers are just outside the last playoff spot now and will look to build some momentum on the road versus a Minnesota side that has only won one game in front of their home fans.
Nashville vs D.C. Preview
Nashville’s defense leads MLS, having conceded only 16 goals all season, and will look to this strength again versus a renewed DC United team. This squad has uncharacteristically lost two in a row after being unbeaten in ten matches.
The Nashville squad will look to find their offense again at home this weekend, and they usually perform well in front of their fans.
D.C. United continued their Jekyll and Hyde play with a 3-0 win against league-leading Cincinnati. They have played at a .500 pace over their last nine games with a 3-3-3 record and will look to break out of their mediocrity with a second successive win against a top team.
You shouldn’t bet on a D.C. win where Nashville has only lost once at home.
St. Louis vs Colorado Preview
St. Louis were winless in four before last weekend’s 2-1 away win in San Jose.
Despite that poor run of results, St. Louis remains atop the Western Conference, and they are the most successful offense in the West to date (37 goals) with the largest goal differential in the conference (+13). They will have a chance to build on that lead by playing the league-worst Rapids this week.
Colorado remains winless in their last eight matches and are having continued difficulty finding the scoresheet, with zero goals scored in their previous three matches.
The Rapids have won twice on the road this season, but it’s not a good idea to speculate on a change of form just yet.
● ST LOUIS VS COLORADO: St Louis TO WIN (-125) FanDuel. With Colorado’s poor form and St Louis appearing to round back into form, this should be a solid home win for St Louis.
San Jose vs Los Angeles Galaxy Preview
San Jose was unbeaten in five before losing in back-to-back games (to St. Louis and Houston). Their last loss to St. Louis was also unfortunate as they held the majority of possession (63%) and outshot St Louis 14-9. Look for San Jose’s strong home record (6-1-3) to continue and for them to break their small losing streak.
The Galaxy have moved out of the Western Conference basement thanks to their recent run of good form that has them unbeaten in four matches.
However, Los Angeles has only won once on the road this year, and their offense has yet to be able to generate much, so betting for a result here would be ambitious.
Seattle vs Houston Preview
The Sounders have won only three times in their last 13 league games and are falling down the Western standings. Seattle did battle to a 0-0 tie at home versus Orlando most recently, but their offense will need to find top form to generate offense against the defense of Houston. This match is difficult to call, so better to lay off here.
Coming off back-to-back victories against top-tier LAFC, Houston should have been riding a wave of momentum going into last week’s match versus Austin.
Unfortunately, the tide changed direction, and they lost 3-0 to their state rival. It’s best to wait and watch for consistency before investing here.
Atlanta vs Philadelphia Preview
Atlanta was unbeaten in seven league games before they ended up with the short stick in a 4-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls. They are still second in the league in goal scoring (37) but have also conceded the most in MLS (35).
Look for an entertaining struggle against a top-tier opponent and conference rival.
The Union has only lost once in 12 matches. They lead the league in goal differential (+114) and should challenge Atlanta. Look for the Union to score some road goals and open up the possibility of road points.
Betting for the win against an Atlanta team that has lost once at home may be pushing too much.
● ATLANTA VS PHILADELPHIA: TOTAL GOALS OVER 3.5 (+186) FanDuel. With two potent offenses at work, this heavyweight battle should see some goals.
