Atlanta United vs New England Revolution Odds & Pick – MLS Cup Playoffs Round 1
- Atlanta is the No. 2 seed in the East
- New England is the No. 7 seed and is 0-3-0 at Mercedez-Benz Stadium
- Atlanta United won the 2018 MLS Cup
The reigning MLS Cup Champs take on the New England Revolution Saturday for the first game of the Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs. Atlanta is strong on the attack and on the defensive end of the pitch and is definitely the better bet at -220.
Atlanta United vs New England Revolution Odds
| Team | Spread | Win | Total | Odds to Qualify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta United | -1.5 (+120) | -220 | O 3.5 (+105) | -500 |
| New England Revolution | +1.5 (-145) | +500 | U 3.5 (-125) | +325 |
| Draw | N/A | +375 | N/A | N/A |
*Odds taken 10/15/19
Under the new playoff structure, all games are single-elimination and Atlanta has proven they can put games away in crunch time.
Meetings This Season
In the teams’ first meeting of the season, New England struggled to stop Atlanta’s attack and the Five Stripes came away with a 2-0 win. The two teams met again in October and Atlanta won 3-1 in its final regular-season match.
Here’s a look at the match highlights from the last meeting between the two teams.
New England scored 50 goals this season, with the scoring on the team more balanced than that of Altanta United. New England’s top goalscorer is Carles Gil with 10 goals, whereas the Five Stripes’ Josef Martinez scored 27 goals this season.
Atlanta vs New England Stats
| 18-12-4 (2nd in Eastern Conference) | Standings | 11-11-12 (7th in Eastern Conference) |
| 509 (5th) | Shots | 455 (13th) |
| 179 (5th) | Shots on Goal | 143 (18th) |
| 58 (4th) | Goals Scored | 50 (15th) |
Atlanta (18-12-4) was able to get 54 more shot attempts through the season than New England (11-11-12), and 36 more shots on goal than the Revolution.
New England’s Chances Are Slim
This is New England’s first postseason match since 2015, where the team fell to DC United in the Eastern Conference knockout round. The game between Atlanta United and New England will take place at Atlanta’s home turf, Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Revolution’s all-time record against Atlanta is 0-4-2 and 0-3-0 for games played in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Personnel Comparisons
Atlanta forward Josef Martinez will shoulder much of the scoring responsibility for the Five Stripes. Martinez finished the MLS regular season with 27 goals and four assists. He is in the running for the 2019 Landon Donovan MLS MVP Award, which he won last year with a then MLS-record of 31 goals on the season.
Atlanta defender Miles Robinson is a finalist for MLS Defender of the Year, though his availability for Saturday’s match is still in question with a hamstring injury.
Martinez did suffer a knee injury that kept him out of the lineup for two weeks before Atlanta’s last game of the season, but he scored one of the three goals against the Revolution in his first game back. The Revolution got on the board early in the game, scoring inside of ten minutes from Cristian Penilla, for his sixth goal of the season.
The Revolution’s top goalscorer, Carles Gil, scored ten goals this season. This season he also became the second player in Revolution history to have 34 career starts. Gustavo Bou has scored nine goals on the season for the Revolution.
Old Habits Die Hard
New England can certainly compete with Atlanta, but whether they can keep up for a full 90 has yet to be seen.
The Revolution have never won a game against the Five Stripes since they entered the league in 2017. The match will be played in Atlanta and makes it that much more of an uphill battle for New England. Atlanta has relentless offensive and defensive weapons to make them the better bet at -220 odds.
Pick: Atlanta (-220)
Lindsey graduated with a Masters in Broadcast and Digital Journalism in 2016, and since then has served as a commentator for men's and women's college sports, a contributor for USA TODAY Sports Media Group, and works as a local radio traffic anchor.
