THERE'S midweek action in the MLS this week. Will Dyer (@w2Dyer) has three bets to share.
DC United v Chicago Fire | Thursday 00:00
I’ll draw on the old adage that the ‘sign of a good side is a side that can win even when not playing well’. DC United did just that against Philadelphia Union last weekend and there are many similarities to them ans Seattle Sounders, the other Conference leaders. Both sides conceded early on at the weekend but came back to win the game.
DC remain unbeaten in eight games at RFK Memorial whilst Chicago continue their horrendous barren run on the road. Fire haven’t won an away game since July last year. That’s 13 MLS fixtures without an away win including a 2-1 defeat in this fixture last October.
I’ve been very impressed with David Accam and Kennedy Igboananike; both learnt their trades in Sweden and have taken well to Major League Soccer however the latter is not as prolific, scoring his first goal in 10 appearances last weekend.
Harry Shipp and Shaun Maloney were more known quantities and both have been as good as expected but away from home they seem unable to eke out results even with these squad improvements. I expect them to be competitive in this game but DC are very strong at the back and with home advantage they should edge this.
Wrong price alert! Quite frankly, United at odds against to win this is the wrong price, as was the case last weekend. They have been one of the most profitable sides to back in MLS for the last two years and continue to be underestimated.
Chris Rolfe and Chris Pontius (no, not the Jackass star) have both been exceptional this season and I expect more of the same from them tonight if you are looking for anytime goal-scorer bets.
Philadelphia Union v Columbus Crew | Thursday 00:00
MLS showed us how exciting it can be again last weekend with nine of 10 games having Over 2.5 Goals and eight of 10 seeing the Both Teams To Score bet win. Philly v Crew is another one of those fixtures that always screams goals to me.
11 of 15 competitive meetings since Union came into existence in 2010 have seen Over 2.5 Goals whilst 10 of those also saw BTTS. Being just 400 miles apart in such a huge country, the sides rivalry is growing year on year. They met in late April with Crew coming out 4-1 winners with a terrific home display.
Philadelphia have seen a huge improvement in both performances and results in the last few weeks. Recording back to back wins against DC and New York Red Bulls and scoring in all of their last three games. Their ability to cause problems on the break has been there for all to see in all of those games and back at PPL Park I fully expect them to register.
Columbus Crew might not have won a single away game but three of their six so far have been tough slogs to the Western Conference and last weekend they showed their mettle by drawing 2-2 in Orlando despite playing with 10 men for 75 minutes.
With Kei Kamara in dazzling form two clear on 10 goals at the top of the MLS scoring charts I find it hard to see them failing to score against the leakiest defence around. Over 2.5 Goals provides much more appeal at Evens compared to BTTS at 3/4.
Montreal Impact v Vancouver Whitecaps | Thursday 01:00
Vancouver make the long trip East across the vast expanses of Canada to face the French contingent in Montreal. Montreal away is a tough fixture these days. There’s always a terrific atmosphere at Stade Saputo and Montreal have lost just one of their last 10 home MLS games.
Vancouver might be second in the Western Conference but they've lost the joint most games, five of 14 which is actually one more than bottom side Colorado Rapids. They are an all or nothing kind of side.
Montreal are a big price to win this. That’s mostly due to their long list of injuries, however with Andreas Romero and Dilly Duka only listed as doubtful and not out, if they feature they will have 10 of the 11 players that beat FC Dallas 10 days ago so they should not be too disadvantaged.
A 3-0 defeat at Chicago last time out was largely due to Marco Donadel’s early red card. They’ve won their last two at home and I’m happy to look past the Whitecaps record in Montreal as most of those games were USL First Division games before Impact’s addition to MLS in 2012.
Their performances in the CONCACAF Champions League stunned many after their record of being the worst MLS side in both the Conference and League in 2014. I feel they are still being undervalued by the bookmakers and will happily have a go at them at 8/5.
Best Bets
DC United v Chicago Fire – DC United to win (13/10 Coral)
Philadelphia Union v Columbus Crew – Over 2.5 Goals (Evens Skybet)
Montreal Impact v Vancouver Whitecaps – Montreal Impact to win (8/5 BetVictor)
Bet365 Bore Draw Refund
Place a Correct Score, HT-FT or Scorecast bet on any of these match and if ends 0-0 Bet365 will refund your bet.
