MLS Odds: NYCFC Fight Chi. Fire for the East
New York City FC (-118) vs Chicago Fire (+395), Draw (+280)
New York City FC (10-4-6, 34 points) will meet the Chicago Fire (11-5-3, 38 points) in a top-of-the-table clash on Saturday, July 22nd, at Yankee Stadium. The game overlaps with the Gold Cup semifinal, where the USMNT faces Costa Rica, and both NYCFC and Chicago will be missing players because of it.
NYCFC are coming off a nervous 2-2 draw against a depleted Toronto FC side. Facing down what could be considered the Toronto B-team at Yankee Stadium, the boys in blue had a tougher time than expected.
They were saved once again by David Villa, who scored their first goal and set up the second. They were up 2-1 in the 90th minute, but a late penalty in added time allowed the Reds to close the deficit. Without Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore to contend with, NYCFC should have done better.
Chicago had a mildly disappointing game this week, as well, drawing 2-2 against an out-of-form Portland. But give that the Timbers have only lost two home games this season, a draw is nothing to scoff at.
The Fire have reinvented their team this season, establishing themselves as one of the strongest MLS squads after two seasons at the bottom of the league. They currently sit second in the East, four points up on third-place NYCFC and just one back of leaders Toronto with a game in hand. They’ve staked their claim near the top of the table by going undefeated in their last 11 matches.
With David Accam and Nemanja Nikolic on the front line, and Bastian Schweinsteiger as the chief playmaker, Chicago have a well-developed attack. NYCFC have a reliable goalscorer in Jack Harrison, but it’s David Villa who has carried them through the season so far.
As mentioned, both sides will be weakened by the USA vs Costa Rica Gold Cup semifinal, which takes place on the same day. Chicago will lose midfielder Dax McCarty, and NYCFC will be without Costa Rican winger Rodney Wallace. Both are valuable players, but neither are indispensable.
NYCFC have only lost one home game this season and Chicago have only won two away games. So naturally, New York City FC are the favorites this weekend. But at +395, there’s a lot of value in Chicago. They’re a completely different side this year and they’re only getting better as the season progresses.
Pick: Chicago Fire (+395)
Don Aguero is a man of many talents, writing about nearly anything you can put odds to. Don has been writing for SportsBettingDime since 2015, covering sports, entertainment and politics. You name it, he's covered it! He is also a steadfast West Ham fan, and has learned to embrace that suffering.
