MLS is Back July 14 Odds & Previews: Chicago Fire vs Seattle Sounders & NYCFC vs Orlando City
- The Seattle Sounders are +138 favorites to drop the Chicago Fire and NYCFC is the -118 chalk to defeat Orlando City in Tuesday’s MLS is Back matches
- Do the defending MLS Cup champion Sounders offer good value at that price?
- Analysis of the odds on both matches and predictions on the outcomes follow in the story below
After a lackluster opening-match performance, will the Seattle Sounders be firing on all cylinders as they face the Chicago Fire?
Will New York City FC bounce back from a loss to get the better of Orlando City, who were winners of their opening match?
This will be the second match for three of these four sides in action Tuesday in the MLS Is Back Tournament. Logic suggests that having a game under their belts should help all three of those teams. Chicago, on the other hand, will be looking to shake off the rust.
Surprisingly, after a scoreless draw against the San Jose Earthquakes in their first match, the Sounders can be had for odds of +138 against the Fire. Considering the circumstances, that seems to be a healthy price to grab.
MLS is Back July 14 Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Fire | +180 | +0.5 (-167) | O 0.5 (+200) |
| Seattle Sounders | +138 | -0.5 (+140) | U 0.5 (-265) |
| Draw | N/A | +250 | N/A |
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
| Orlando City | +310 | +0.5 (-103) | O 0.5 (-10000) |
| New York City FC | -118 | -0.5 (-118) | U 0.5 (+1200) |
| Draw | N/A | +265 | N/A |
Odds taken July 13
New York City FC is 0-3 in MLS league and tournament this season and hasn’t scored a goal in four matches from all competitions thus far this season.
They Didn’t Start the Fire
Faced with the intense man-marking style of the Earthquakes in their first match back in action would’ve been bad enough. Couple that with the 88% humidity at game time and credit goes to the lads from wet Washington State for not wilting in the heat.
Seattle’s revamped defense still looked to have some questions left to answer. Fortunately, behind them, goalkeeper Stefan Frei was the Rock of Gibraltar. There were 16 shots directed goalward by the Earthquakes and Frei was forced to parry eight of them. However, just one of those eight shots came from within the penalty area.
Always comes up clutch. 🙌@Stefan24Frei's @WAFDbank Save of the Match! pic.twitter.com/AKgboiDsPh
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) July 12, 2020
Seattle looked to be shaking off the rust by the second half. Chicago, though, will be playing its first match since March. As well, the Fire was moved to Group F following the departure of Nashville SC from the tournament. That means all the prep work they’d done for the three opponents they’d expected to face went out the window and they were starting from scratch.
Working with a significantly rebuilt roster, Chicago was 0-1-1 when COVID-19 halted the season. Seattle has won three straight from the Fire.
Pick: Seattle Sounders (+138)
New York State of Mind
NYCFC are perhaps a bit surprising as the prohibitive chalk in this match. They were 1-0 losers to the Philadelphia Union in their opening game. Meanwhile, Orlando City stopped Miami FC 2-1. Captain Luis Nani netted the match-winner in stoppage time.
New York is unbeaten its last six league matches against Orlando (4-0-2). NYCFC has kept four clean sheets over that span.
Late magic from @luisnani ✨#ORLvMIA | #VamosOrlando pic.twitter.com/XYIqkpBQUK
— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) July 9, 2020
However, the times, they are a-changing. Last season, both MLS games between the two teams finished as draws – 2-2 in Orlando and 1-1 at New York. As well, Orlando FC defeated New York City FC 2-1 after a penalty shootout in their US Open Cup quarter-final match at Orlando.
Overall, Orlando City hasn’t lost to NYCFC in nearly two years since a 2-0 setback on July 26th, 2018. Then again, City hasn’t won at home against NYCFC in MLS league action since April 23rd, 2017, a 2-1 verdict.
🎙️| "There's a lot of good things to take from the performance…" #MLSisBack
PRESS CONFERENCE ➡️ https://t.co/O5twV4aTot
📽️ presented by @etihad pic.twitter.com/jr5sC00iOr
— New York City FC (@NYCFC) July 9, 2020
The Union were also winless in four against NYCFC prior to their success in the tournament opener for both clubs. NYCFC is still looking for its first goal of 2020. They dropped consecutive 1-0 decisions to the Columbus Crew and Toronto FC prior to the MLS regular-season suspension on March 12.
All the analytics favored NYCFC in the match agaist Philly. They won the possession battle (59.5%), led in shots (17-8) and in expected goals (1.74 – 0.39). Yet again, they proved unable to find the back of the net.
Midfielder Maxi Moralez (quad strain) is out for NYCFC.
Orlando is technically at home for this tourney, albeit without spectator support.
Pick: Draw (+265)
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
