MLS expert Luke Beaumont (@_LukeBeaumont) analyses Saturday night's action from America.
Colorado Rapids vs Atlanta United | Saturday 15th September 2018, 20:30 | Sky Sports
Atlanta United travel to Denver as they look to overtake New York Red Bulls and go top of the Eastern Conference with a win over Colorado Rapids.
The Five Stripes go into this game with great confidence knowing that Colorado received a thumping in their last home game with a 6-0 defeat at the hands of Real Salt Lake.
Atlanta’s last seven games have seen both teams score, and while Colorado have failed to score in their last three, they can take advantage of the defensive vulnerabilities Tata Martino’s side have shown.
The Rapids have lost three games in succession, whilst Atlanta have won three of their last four on the road. This has the possibility to be a comfortable win for Atlanta United, who boast one of the best away records in the league.
The question is: can they keep the ball out of their own net? The form suggests otherwise. It’s worth noting that during Atlanta’s last four wins, their opponents have got on the scoresheet.
Toronto vs LA Galaxy | Sunday 16th September 2018, 00:30 | Sky Sports
Toronto host LA Galaxy in a meeting between two sides who surprisingly find themselves outside of playoff contention – Not something that most people would have predicted at the start of the year.
The Galaxy go into this game managerless as Sigi Schmid stepped down from his role as head-coach after an unsuccessful second spell at the club.
Despite having the most expensive defence in Major League Soccer, LA Galaxy are joint-second for goals conceded. They have conceded 11 goals in their last two away games, thanks to 5-0 and 6-2 losses.
I fancy Toronto to have fun and score goals against a poor defence and a team without a permanent head-coach. The Canadian side’s attack is led by Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore, and I fancy the latter to grab himself a goal at even money.
Best Bets
Colorado Rapids v Atlanta – Atlanta to win and both teams to score (2/1 Bet365)
Toronto v LA Galaxy – Toronto to score 3+ goals (6/5 SkyBet)
Toronto v LA Galaxy – Jozy Altidore to score anytime (1/1 Sky Bet)
