Atlanta United’s 2019 MLS Cup Odds Fade After Winless Start

• Defending champions Atlanta United are winless over their first three games
• Their MLS Cup odds have taken a hit after the slow start
• Does Atlanta present betting value now at longer odds?

MLS Cup champions Atlanta United opened the 2019 season as one of the top two favorites for the 2019 MLS Cup. With new head coach Frank de Boer at the helm and a 0-2-1 start to the year, Atlanta’s odds have now drifted out to an average of +970.

With opening average odds of +600 back in January and +550 prior to the start of the season, has this slow start created betting value?

You can see every team’s odds to win MLS Cup throughout the season with our MLS Cup Odds Tracker.

2019 MLS Cup Odds

*Odds taken 03/28/19. For a full list of teams click the link in the table.

In only their second season in Major League Soccer, Atlanta United were nearly unstoppable on their way to the title last year.

The defense of that title has gotten off to a shaky start for Frank de Boer’s side. The ex-Ajax defender spent many years managing the club after his playing career. However, short and failed stints at Inter Milan and Crystal Palace proceeded his appointment as manager in Atlanta.

The Dutchman has struggled to keep the Five Stripes at the same level as his predecessor, Tata Martino.

https://twitter.com/ajaxtimes/status/1108298914770358273

Defending a title is always tough. No team has done it since the LA Galaxy in 2011-12, and it’s only happened three times in the league’s history. With MLS Cup taking place in December and the CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) starting up in February, teams can be forgiven for getting off to slow starts.

Defending a title is always tough. No team has done it since the LA Galaxy in 2011-12, and it’s only happened three times in the league’s history.

Though sometimes they never recover. 2017’s MLS Cup champs, Toronto FC, threw everything they had into the CCL after they won MLS Cup and failed to even make the playoffs last season.

Pity Martinez so far in Atlanta..

496 minutes
0 goals
0 assists
Completing 65% of his passes (16th on the team)

Not exactly a smooth transition for the new Atlanta #10. #UniteAndConquer #MLS pic.twitter.com/LLucy9qDQZ

— MLS Buzz (@MLS_Buzz) March 20, 2019

TFC’s CCL run took them all the way to the final though. Plus, they were forced to deal with several injuries throughout the year.

Atlanta, by contrast, are already eliminated from CCL play. So that excuse can be no more. Their only two competitive wins of 2019 came during the tournament. Unfortunately their 1-0 home win over Monterrey was not enough to reverse a 3-0 road loss in Mexico during the quarterfinals.

With the CCL excuse gone, Atlanta will now be able to fully focus on improving their 10th place position in the East.

Atlanta, Martínez Yet to Impress

The 2019 MLS season for Atlanta began with a tough match on the road to Wayne Rooney’s DC United. In what could be a future Eastern Conference playoff matchup, it was DC which came out on top 2-0.

While  a road loss to DC after two CCL matches is forgivable, a home draw to expansion side FC Cincinnati set off alarm bells around the league. Josef Martínez opened his goal scoring account early in the match, but Atlanta coughed up the lead late to draw 1-1.

#TBT to the last time we faced the crew 💪 pic.twitter.com/k8WqZSWMCe

— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) March 28, 2019

Atlanta won 11/17 home games last season but they failed to win at home again versus Philadelphia. This time they fell behind early in the second half before Ezequiel Barco drew things even in the 70′ minute.

The schedule won’t get an easier with Atlanta travelling to third place Columbus on Saturday.

Where’s the Eastern Conference Betting Value?

Unlike last year, this MLS season seems to be a bit more wide-open. With the defending champs 10th in the East and expansion side Cincinnati second, there’s no better example of this parity.

While I’m not sure I see Atlanta repeating in 2019, this team is not much different than last year. They are still too talented to drop much lower in the standings. Their dip in odds has to be viewed as a buying opportunity. Though with two road games on the horizon, should they continue to struggle, those odds could still drift out a little more if you wait.

28th September 2004: Wayne Rooney scores his first senior hat-trick.

15 years and 326 goals later

17th March 2019: Wayne Rooney scores his first MLS hat-trick.

Still taking home match balls. #DCU pic.twitter.com/3u8uRmy4aA

— Get247Sports News (@Get247Sport) March 19, 2019

If you look across the East, a team like DC has to also be considered with average odds of +1000. Though some of that value has already been sucked out as they could’ve been had for an average price of +2100 last month.

Another value play could be Toronto FC at +1400. They are likely somewhere between their MLS Cup winning 2017 season and their ninth place 2018. But they are fresh having only played two games so far (both wins) and currently sit fourth. They also just signed Alejandro Pozuelo, from Belgium’s top team Genk to a new designated player contract.