MLS Odds: Rise Of The Canadians
By Don Aguero in Soccer News
Updated: January 17, 2018 at 9:39 am ESTPublished:
In its very brief history, no Canadian team has ever won the MLS Cup. But that could all change very soon. Last year, two Canadian teams, the Montreal Impact and Toronto FC, forced an all-Canadian Eastern Conference final despite being dominated by the New York teams during the regular season.
Toronto came out on top in that battle, but went on to lose to the Seattle Sounders in a nerve-wracking penalty shootout. 2016 marked the first time a Canadian team reached the final of the MLS Cup. A big accomplishment, for sure, but will it happen again this year? Twenty seventeen has gotten off to a rough start for all of Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. But we’re only seven games into the season, and a lot can change.
So with that in mind, let’s take a look at the odds for America’s hat!
MLS odds for Canadian teams
Odds to win their conference in the regular season:
Last season, the two New York teams dominated the Eastern Conference while the West was a toss up between Colorado and Dallas. It’s still way too early to gauge which teams will stand out this year, but all three Canadian teams are currently hovering around the middle or bottom of their respective conferences.
From what we’ve seen so far, none of the Canadian teams have the consistency required to win the regular season. If that changes, so will the odds.
Toronto FC: 9/1
Montreal Impact: 20/1
Vancouver Whitecaps: 50/1
Odds to win their conference bracket:
All three teams will have to move up into the top six in order to have a shot at the bracket, but as we saw last year, Toronto and Montreal were able to sweep the Finals round despite finishing third and fifth. I’m confident that if they can make it through to the top six, they will both do well.
On the other hand, Vancouver is not looking nearly as threatening as their East Coast counterparts. Last year, they finished in a measly eighth place and this season isn’t looking much better. However, they are starting to find some consistency in scoring with new striker Fredy Montero, so if that continues, and the chemistry builds, we could see them bettering last year’s finish and making it into the top six.
Toronto FC: 17/3
Montreal Impact: 15/1
Vancouver Whitecaps: 45/1
Odds to win the MLS Cup:
Toronto came inches from picking up the MLS Cup last year and they’re sniffing out redemption this season. As for Montreal and Vancouver, they definitely have a chance but I would hold off on picking them for now.
Let’s wait until they give us a reason to believe.
Toronto FC: 93/7
Montreal Impact: 97/3
Vancouver Whitecaps: 99/1
Odds to be Top-scorer out of Canadian Team:
Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto) and Ignacio Piatti (Montreal) scored 17 goals last season, being outscored by only Bradley Wright-Phillips (24) and David Villa (23). But currently, the top scorers for the Canadian teams are Toronto’s Jozy Altidore and Vancouver’s Montero, each with three goals in regular season action.
Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto): 7/3
Ignacio Piatti (Montreal): 3/1
Jozy Altidore (Toronto): 4/1
Fredy Montero (Vancouver): 19/1
Odds Toronto and Montreal meet in the East finals: 10/1
This is the rematch Impact fans have been waiting for. While it could happen again, the East is a tough conference to get through, so let’s not get our hopes up just yet.
Sports & Entertainment Writer
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.