MLS Best Bets for This Weekend (March 26-27) (Archive)
Four weeks of MLS action have come and gone. Week 5 is upon us this weekend, which means we are well and truly in the swing of things and gaining a good sense of how every team stacks up.
That said, matchday 5 of MLS action is interrupted by the international break to accommodate for World Cup qualifying fixtures. This leaves a watered-down schedule with just three games on the docket this week at the sports betting exchange.
Before we get down to the nitty and gritty – which is predicting the games scheduled for this week, along with soccer betting predictions and free soccer picks – we quickly rundown the league table for both the Eastern Conference and Western Conferences. A sort of lookback, if you will.
Week 4 Lookback
Philadelphia Union rides high in the Eastern Conference on the back of a 3-1-0 record and 10 points while Columbus and Chicago (2-2-0) are tied on eight points and in second and third place, respectively. Defending champions NYCFC (1-1-2) are struggling mightily and, somewhat worryingly, have gone three out of four games without scoring a goal! This includes last week’s 2-0 loss to Philadelphia Union.
On the opposite end, Inter Miami CF props up the Eastern Conference table with a 0-1-3 record and one point. The David Beckham-inspired franchise faced a tough schedule at the start of the season, so it remains to be seen whether they’re as bad as their record suggests or if they’re just not good enough yet to compete against some of the better and more established teams in the league.
The CF Impact joins Inter Miami at the bottom of the table with a 0-1-3 record and one point, but the wide consensus has this team as one of the worst so far. How does a side give up three goals to a 10-man Atlanta United side to settle on a 3-3 draw?
The Western Conference features a two-horse race between LAFC and Real Salt Lake as both are tied on a 3-1-0 record and 10 points after four rounds. LAFC has the slight edge on goal differential, putting Los Angeles in first place for the time being. In the meanwhile, 2021 runners-up Colorado Rapids are sitting in sixth place with a 2-1-1 record and seven points.
Nashville SC fell down to 11th spot after suffering a 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake while the Seattle Sounders collected merely a point from a 1-1 draw to Austin and moved into the tenth spot. LA Galaxy suffered its second loss of the season and fell to seventh place in the table, just on the cusp of the playoff cut-off line.
At the bottom of the table, the San Jose Earthquakes and Vancouver Whitecaps FC are found, tied on a 0-1-3 record and one point. Neither side has inspired a lot of confidence so far, but some allowances could be made for each having a tough schedule to start the season.
Charlotte FC vs. FC Cincinnati
Saturday, March 26, 2022 – 05:00 PM EDT at Bank of America Stadium
Charlotte’s inaugural campaign was boosted last weekend with the side’s first win –a 3-1 win over New England Revolution at the Bank of America Stadium before a packed house. The victory lifted Charlotte out of the Eastern Conference basement and into the 12th spot with three precious points.
Next up for Charlotte is a date with FC Cincinnati, a side that has enjoyed mixed reviews and currently sits in eighth in the standings with a 2-0-2 record. Cincinnati beat Orlando City – a decent outfit – in Week 3. Then, they backed it up with a 2-1 win over Inter Miami last weekend as Brandon Vazquez scored a brace to lift his side to the crucial victory. Vazquez has four goals for the season already.
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If the MLS odds were any indication, it would seem that bookmakers are loathed to buy what Cincinnati is selling right now. Indeed, they have Charlotte as the favorite in this game, although with odds slightly above even money.
Charlotte may well be high after recording its first win, but to string together back-to-back wins isn’t so easy. Cincy is on a clear upward trajectory. A game against the newbies might be just in their wheelhouse.
Soccer Pick: FC Cincinnati (+320) at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
Sporting Kansas City vs. Real Salt Lake
Saturday, March 26, 2022 - 07:00 PM EDT at Children's Mercy Park
Real Salt Lake has a chance to pull ahead in the Western Conference table this week with a date against Sporting Kansas City. The hosts are 12th in the table with a 1-0-3 record and three points.
Sporting is riding a two-game losing streak ahead of this clash after suffering losses to the Colorado Rapids and Chicago Fire on the road. Sporting opened their season with a 3-1 loss to Atlanta United on the road too. Indeed, the lone victory for the Wizards has come at the Children’s Mercy Park in Week 2 – a 1-0 win over Houston Dynamo.
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Real Salt Lake extended its unbeaten form with a 2-1 win over Nashville last weekend. The Royals are level with LAFC in the conference standings, and they’ll be mindful of the chance to move ahead at the expense of a seemingly beatable host.
Top sportsbooks fancy Sporting KC, with home advantage on their side, to come through. This is interesting, not least of all it sends RSL into this game on deliciously tempting underdog odds. It’s not often that an undefeated team is priced as an underdog.
Soccer Pick: Real Salt Lake (+335) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Portland Timbers vs. Orlando City SC
Sunday, March 27, 2022 - 04:00 PM EDT at Providence Park
The Portland Timbers and Orlando City collide in an interconference showdown on Sunday, wrapping up the trimmed schedule for the MLS this weekend.
The hosts are coming off a rather jarring 4-1 defeat to Dallas on the road last week, their first major setback of the season that saw them drop to a 1-2-1 mark and five points. Portland ranks ninth in the Western Conference and they’re merely a point behind LA Galaxy in seventh place.
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Orlando City, by contrast, is coming off a statement 1-0 win over the LA Galaxy on the road, improving to a 2-1-1 record with seven points and into fifth place in the standings. Orlando is caught in a three-way tie with New York Red Bulls and Atlanta United after four rounds.
Once again, the soccer betting markets are heavily skewed towards the hosts here, but bettors might find value in backing the draw instead between two sides that would appear to be evenly matched. The Timbers might find it hard to break down an Orlando defense that has kept three clean sheets in four games.
Soccer Pick: Draw (+270) at GTbets (visit our GTbets Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.