MLS > September 2016

[StevieDay1983]

Odds courtesy of bet365.

The 2016 MLS season is starting to enter its final regular season stage before entering the play-offs. Any matches standing out for you punters here?

@gogetta and @Xcout, you guys were making some good points during the August phase. What are your thoughts here?

Check out the MLS ratings right here: Punters Lounge MLS Ratings.

[gogetta]

On 9/1/2016, 4:59:58, StevieDay1983 said:

 

The 2016 MLS season is starting to enter its final regular season stage before entering the play-offs. Any matches standing out for you punters here?

@gogetta and @Xcout, you guys were making some good points during the August phase. What are your thoughts here?

 

 

LA Galaxy Head Coach Bruce Arena said earlier this week that this stage is "tighter, every point is sacred". My selections:

Vancouver vs NY Red Bulls  -  Draw

Dallas vs Portland - BTTS

LA Galaxy vs Columbus - Home win

 

[StevieDay1983]

I like the look of those @gogetta so think I'm going to have to back those myself. Are you any closer to making a decision on who you think could go all the way? Reckon Portland Timbers can upset the odds and retain their title? Looking unlikely at the moment but once in the play-offs anything can happen! FC Dallas looking good right now though.

[gogetta]

27 minutes ago, StevieDay1983 said:

I like the look of those @gogetta so think I'm going to have to back those myself. Are you any closer to making a decision on who you think could go all the way? Reckon Portland Timbers can upset the odds and retain their title? Looking unlikely at the moment but once in the play-offs anything can happen! FC Dallas looking good right now though.

Portland is coming alive precisely as planned by Coach Caleb Porter, whose season objective is to defend the MLS Cup and win the CONCACAF champions league. They still have their squad largely intact along with post-season experience. Dallas are more likely to win the regular season title but they lack the players and experience for the post-season demands.

[Xcout]

I also like gogetta opinion, but the international call ups can make things very different as expected, still I do not share one thing:

The objective to win the CONCACAF Champions League is not very realistic. The difference between the MLS to Liga MX still is very considerable (considering the Liga MX and MLS teams taking part on that tournament).

[Xcout]

Los Angeles Galaxy

Winless in their last six matches, LA Galaxy has been able to collect five draws in this streak, three of them in home, the team needs to start collecting victories here. And this seems like a good start.

DF De Jong leave the team to join Galatasaray in Turkey, FW Robbie Keane played on Wednesday his Ireland NT farewell match and could miss this match, together with absences due to injury in last match make the team look thin for this match. Still the dept of the club is impressive, as many players that act as replacement would have starting positions in many teams. So players that other seasons where starters like Alan Gordon, and Jeff Larentowicz return to the lineup for this match, and should deliver a good performance as this is their chance to show their value.

The team has four game home undefeated streak alive versus Columbus, all the way back to 2007, two wins and two draws in that span. 

Injured: 

DF Jelle Van Damme

MF Steven Gerrard 

FW Gyasi Bardes (season-ending injury)

 

Columbus Crew

Improved in their last thee matches, as they collect two victories, winning last one 2-0 to San Jose Earthquakes on home, now they go on away.  Before they have collected a 10 matches winless streak, still the improvement might come to a hold this week as they encounter this match with several players on international duty or not very fit for playing for the team.

After this match the go home once again and there the good results could continue, still this match looks very difficult for them to be able to obtain something. 

Injured:

GK Matt Pacifici
DF Waylon Francis (questionable)

DF Gaston Sauro (questionable)

DF Tyson Wahl (questionable)

MF Ben Swanson (season-ending injury) 

MF Federico Higuain (questionable)

MF Wil Trapp (questionable) 

FW Conor Casey (questionable)

 

International Callups:

DF Harrison Afful (Ghana) 

MF Rodrigo Saravia (Guatemala)

MF Tony Tchani (Cameroon)

MF Justin Meram (Iraq)

 

Match

Only time for this season that the team will face-off . Expect a match dominated by Los Angeles Galaxy, which will enjoy the best scoring chances, still not a field day as Columbus will lay down counterattacking expecting to get at least a point.

 

Prediction

LA Galaxy should return to the winning path as they go home where they are unbeaten, still have draw more matches than winning.  In their favor plays the international callups Columbus have together with their bad performance on away (1 victory in 11 matches). On top of that many questionable players that might not play this match, Columbus absences hurt them more than those in LA Galaxy. 

 

LA Galaxy with 9 units @ 1.76 at 5Dimes

Result: LA Galaxy 2 - 1 Columbus Crew

Edited September 4, 2016 by Xcout

[StevieDay1983]

Odds provided by bet365.

The majority of the fixtures this weekend heavily back the home side. A few are in the balance and I wonder if you lads are willing to back New England Revolution, Chicago Fire, and San Jose Earthquakes to all win their games?

[Xcout]

Sporting Kansas City vs Houston Dynamo

2016 September 10, 02:00 hrs

Stadium: “Children’s Mercy Park

Sporting Kansas City
Returns home, where they have an streak of six victories, which helps to boost the team after consecutive defeats on away to end August, one in MLS and the other in CONCACAF Champions League against Vancouver Whitecaps, despite winning the previous encounter to Vancouncer Whitecaps on home 3 days before, which reaches their winless streak to 12 matches. 

Remarks that their last match the team got two players ejected, and even they continue creating scoring changes. MF Roger Espinoza suspensions was rescinded by the Independent Review Panel, and will be available for this match. Still the absences of Jimmy Medranda will be feel as this has been a breakout year for him. 

The team has a fair performance on home, with 9 victories out of 15 matches. 

Suspended:
MF Jimmy Medranda

Houston Dynamo
Just one victory in their last six matches, highlights that it was on away, their first victory on away on 13 matches. Then went to home for two matches, where there could only collect 1 point. Last sunday the team played a friendly against Chivas Guadalajara (who did not have their international call up players) and obtain a scoreless draw, the benefit for Dynamo is that four players debut with the team. DF Kerney Brown, MF Yair Arboleda, MF Jose Escalante, and GK Calle Brown. Three of them could made their MLS debut. 

DF DaMarcus Beasly played some minutes after the recover of knee surgery, and needs to get in top form. 

FW Erick Torres went on loan to Cruz Azul for the remain of the season, if Cruz Azul executes the permanent transfer option then Erick Torres will left, if not, will return to 2017 preseason. 

With so many new signings and changes in the squad the team is trying is already thinking on next season, althought not forgetting this one, as a long shot playoffs but still doable. 

Injured:
DF Agus Garica
GK Tyler Deric
DF Abdoulie Mansally

Match
Not an easy match, Sporting Kansas City should dominate but Houston will not make it simple, still new players could debut and the environment of change does not seem very positive right now. 

Prediction
Sporting Kansas City should bounce back to victory as they are in their home ground, which has them in good position for playoffs, meanwhile Houston, has showed fair defending, but still many changes, and they seems to be thinking already in next season, as a key forward left the team.

Sporting Kansas City -1 AH with 6 units @ 2.09 at 5Dimes

Result: Kansas City 3 - 3 Houston Dynamo

Edited September 10, 2016 by Xcout
Result

[Xcout]

I fancy LA Galaxy vs Orlando City, BTTS. Both teams have very powerful offensive, and stars players, Robbie Keane, GIovanni Dos Santos, Kaka, and their defences leave a lot to desire. Therefore both teams should score.

[clubgowi]

MLS: Seattle Sounders - Chicago Fire

Chicago Fire did finally break that dismal road record last month winning 3-0 in Montreal, their first away win in 37 attempts and more than 25 months, you might think that would have kick started a sequence, but no, they have lost their two subsequent road games by a combined 10-3 ! They sit bottom of the East, a win tonight would not change that and you suspect rebuilding for next season will be well underway and any remaining energies saved for their last two home starts, not a game 4,000km away from home, against an in form, motivated opponent.

Sounders appear to have found some form just in time , they have taken heart from 7 points in their last three starts and huge confidence from a 4-2 win in LA over Galaxy on Sunday. That took them to within three points of a playoff spot, with two games in hand on all the clubs directly above them, they host Real Salt Lake (currently 4th) on the final day of the season (October 23rd) and it is not impossible that Seattle could still snatch that 4th place and that is a huge incentive. It would give them a HOME one leg playoff first round game and the last eight hosting teams have progressed ! Fire don't concede just one, they have two clean sheets in 11 starts, but once allowing a first goal, they have always given up at least two at an average of 2.89 per game and three or more in 6 of 9 away starts.

Seattle Sounders -1.25 ball 2.17 asian line/Sportmarket

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