MLS is Back Tournament Group D Odds & Betting Preview: Group of Death Features Four Undefeated Teams
- Minnesota United favored to finish atop Group of death featuring four undefeated clubs
- After maintaining last year’s season-ending momentum in a pair of wins to open 2020, vastly improved Colorado Rapids offer value as longshot to advance
- Read on to get all the odds and insight into where to find the value in the MLS is Back group D odds
Group D is set to earn the reputation as the “Group of Death” when the MLS is Back tournament kicks off later this week. Featuring four teams that went undefeated in the first two weeks of action before the 2020 MLS season was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Group D is likely to emerge as the most closely fought and hardest to predict grouping in this summer’s tourney.
Here’s a look at how each of these clubs shape up as the MLS gets set to return, and where to find the value in the MLS is Back group D odds.
MLS is Back Tournament Group D Odds
| Team | Odds to Qualify | Odds to Win Group |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota United | +185 | -400 |
| Sporting Kansas City | +200 | -350 |
| Real Salt Lake | +300 | -160 |
| Colorado Rapids | +500 | +110 |
Odds taken July 5th.
Loons Aim to Build on Breakthrough Campaign
After posting a franchise-record 15 regular season wins, and earning their first-ever playoff berth last season, Minnesota United are poised to take the next step in 2020. The club showed promise earlier on, posting decisive road victories over Portland and San Jose. Newly acquired striker Luis Amarilla led the way in those wins, potting a pair of goals, and will be counted on to bolster a Loons offensive attack that ranked just 10th in goals scored last season.
Minnesota United wins at Portland thanks to Luis Amarilla’s finish off a nice assist from Ethan Finlay 🙌#PORvMIN (via @FOXSoccer)pic.twitter.com/LhawiB9Llr
— Yahoo Soccer (@FCYahoo) March 2, 2020
The Loons built their 2019 success on strong home performances, going 10-1-6 at Allianz Field, while mustering a feeble 5-10-2 record on the road. However, the club will be without one of their top defenders to start the tournament, with Ike Opara remaining in Minnesota as he recovers from injury.
Sporting on the Rebound Following Step Back in 2019
Like the Loons, Sporting Kansas City opened 2020 in impressive fashion, dominating in a pair of lopsided victories over Vancouver and Houston, and outscoring the opposition by a combined 7-1 margin. The hot start marks a dramatic turn in fortunes for Sporting, who finished last season on a dismal 0-5-1 run and out of the MLS Cup playoff picture for the first time in nine years.
OFICIAL. Alan Pulido es nuevo jugador del Sporting Kansas City. Después de conquistar el título de goleo en la Liga MX, el mexicano decidió fichar por un club de la MLS. Será jugador designado. Es fichaje récord para el club estadounidense. Contrato hasta 2023. Se va del rebaño. pic.twitter.com/yFocOPDxEQ
— Invictos (@InvictosSomos) December 10, 2019
Sporting quickly took steps to right the ship with the offseason acquisition of Mexican superstar Alan Pulido. The top goalscorer in the Liga MX Apertura last season, Pulido made his presence immediately felt by opening the scoring in the clubs two early-season wins. However, it remains to be seen whether Sporting have done enough to shore up a porous defense that surrendered 22 total goals during last year’s season-ending swoon. In addition, the road has been truly hard for the club, with Sporting compiling a 4-10-6 record over their past 20 league dates.
Real Hopes to Take Home Magic to Orlando
While Real Salt Lake avoided defeat in their first two matches of the 2020 MLS season, they continue to look for their first win of the year as they get set for the MLS is Back tournament. The Claret and Cobalt were forced to settle for draws with Orlando City and the New York Red Bulls, extending their current winless streak across all competitions to six matches.
Third-place finishers in the Western Conference standings last season, RSL sported one of the top defenses in MLS, surrendering an average of just 0.81 goals per match, fifth best in the league. In addition, the club has proved to be one of the top clubs in MLS on home turf since last season, losing just twice in their past 15 matches. However, as was evident in their two early-season matchups, goal production remains an issue. Real potted just one total goal in those outings, a trend they will have to reverse if they are to advance out of Group D.
Can Rapids Build on Early-Season Success?
A long-time doormat in the MLS Western Conference, the Colorado Rapids showed signs of returning to respectability in 2019. With wins in five of their final seven contests, the Rapids compiled a double-digit win total for the first time since 2013 to finish the season just six points out of a playoff spot. The club continued to trend positively in their first two outings of 2020. On the strength of dramatic game-winning goals in the 90th minute in each of their first two contests, Colorado walked away with character-building 2-1 victories over both Orlando and DC United.
The Rapids remain longshots to win Group D for a reason. The club still has plenty of work to do to regain their contender status, but made some significant recent upgrades. In addition to bolstering their goalkeeping with the recent acquisition of William Yarbrough on loan from Club Leon, they also signed veteran midfielder Collen Warner. Colorado has a mountain to climb to win Group D against such stiff competition, but with veterans like Kei Kamara likely benefitting from the rest thanks to the league shutdown, the Rapids offer intriguing value as a +110 longshot to advance out of the group stage.
Picks: Minnesota United to win Group D (+180); Colorado Rapids to advance (+110)
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Daniel has been writing about sports and sports betting for over 23 years. The seasoned pro has contributed to the likes of Sports Illustrated, Sportsnet, NESN, Bleacher Report, OddsShark, the Globe and Mail, and The Nation magazine.
