Contenders or Pretenders: Big Matchups For Week 12 In The MLS

If LAFC is the MLS version of Manchester City, as Columbus Crew manager Caleb Porter remarked after his team’s loss to the juggernaut this week, then I guess we have to start asking, who is the league’s version of other EPL teams?

• Toronto, with a feverish and isolated fan base, track record of success and those red jerseys, are all Liverpool.
• LA Galaxy, once a powerhouse, willing to spend big money on big names, sounds remarkably similar to Man United.
• Montreal, aside from the Didier Drogba connection, also have the twitchy firing finger of an owner who wants success ASAP. Hello Chelsea.
• Atlanta, your unexpected rise to the top mirrors a similar rise of Leicester City.
• And Seattle, with your high quality style of play, your continued success, and your Yedlin/Dempsey connections, is all very Tottenham.

So as the EPL season comes to a close, we have our new EPL-ish teams entering Week 12, looking to show themselves as true challengers to the top of the tables with big wins over fellow contenders. Let’s look at some of the more entertaining matchups you can place some money on.

NY Red Bulls vs Atlanta United

Weren’t we just calling for the head of Atlanta coach Frank de Boer’s head? Now they’ve rattled off 5 straight wins, all shutouts, and are sitting third in the East. They come to New York this weekend to face a team that’s been riding high as well, having won three of their last four. So who is going to crack?

Peering closer at the recent wins for each, Atlanta looks a little less solid. A mid-week 1-0 win at Vancouver was harder than it should’ve been, and the same can be said for wins against Orlando, Sporting KC and Toronto, who were all fielding not their strongest squads. Sure, a win is a win, especially compared to how they started the campaign, but this week’s match should be a true test of where they really are. 

The Red Bulls, on the other hand, have stronger recent wins against stronger opponents, including FC Dallas and the Galaxy, and hold a 4-1-1 record against their East rivals That loss? Nothing big. Just the one that kept them out of the MLS Cup Final last year.

The Red Bulls are slight favorites at +140 to Atlanta’s +180, and with those odds, we like the Red Bulls for a decent payout.

Philadelphia Union vs Seattle Sounders

Hello goals! 

When these teams, both sitting second in the table in their conferences, get together Saturday afternoon, we can expect some offense. They sit second and third in the league in GD, with Philly at +11 and Seattle at +8, and the Union are second in the league in goals scored at 23. The Sounders have scored in all  but one of their games this season, and both teams have scored in six of their past seven games. 

A few Score bets are out there to take, including Total Goals, which at +165 for over 3.5 goals seems like a good possibility. Predicting the final score is another way to win big, including great lines for wins by Philly by scores of 2-1 (+700) and 3-1 (+1100), as well as Sounders wins of 2-1 (+1200) and 3-1 (+3000)worth taking a chance.

In terms of who will win, the line favors Philly (-141) over the visitors (+350), but Seattle, even without Jordan Morris, has been played well without him before, and have the talented Raul Ruidiaz back. The Sounders might be able to take a game on the road, and give you a big win.

Good luck footy fans!