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MLS Week 14 Picks: Portland to Host LAFC in Home Opener of Providence Park

Ryan Metivier

by Ryan Metivier in Soccer News

Updated Mar 27, 2020 · 2:40 PM PDT

Timbers Army
The Timbers Army have waited 12 games to welcome their team home and will get to do so Saturday night when the newly renovated Providence Park re-opens. Photo By Sharat Ganapati (Wiki Commons) [CC License]
  • Week 14 of the MLS season continues this weekend
  • After 12 road matches, Portland will finally play their first home game of the season when hosting LAFC
  • The Houston Dynamo will host SKC and hope to remain unbeaten at home

Major League Soccer’s Week 14 schedule continues with 11 matches this weekend from May 31 – June 2, 2019. This will be the last weekend until the end of June with a regular slate of weekly matches, with international competitions taking place over the coming weeks.

We take a look at a few of the top matches from the MLS Week 14 slate and provide some expert betting advice.

Portland Timbers vs LAFC Odds

Team Spread Moneyline Odds Total
Portland +0.5 (-150) +200 O 3.0 (-115)
LAFC -0.5 (+110) +120 U 3.0 (-105)
Draw N/A +255 N/A

*All odds taken May 31, 2019

Timbers 12-Game Road Streak Ends

The Portland Timbers are 12 games into the 2019 MLS season, yet Saturday will mark their first home game of the campaign. With renovations to their home pitch Providence Park now complete, the Timbers will host league-leading LAFC in the last match of Saturday night at 10:30 pm EST.

Considering the long road trip, at 4-2-6 with 14 points, and just four points out of a playoff position, Portland are in a decent place to attack the summer portion of their schedule.

That record has much to do with the form Portland has been in over the past month. Portland defeated Columbus 3-1 back on April 20, and starting with that win, they’ve won four of six, while only losing once. Their past two games have seen them draw with Houston 1-1 and defeat the then East-leading Philadelphia Union 3-1.

Last weekend’s match saw plenty of chances including two posts by Philly, meaning the total goals could’ve easily exceeded four.

So while it will likely be a raucous, party atmosphere in Oregon Saturday night, there’s no better team to crash the party than LAFC.

In the four historical matches between these two, three have seen both teams score and the over 2.5 goals bet cash.

Supporter’s Shield leaders LAFC have lost just once all season and that was eight games back. Only twice have they been held off the scoresheet and are fresh off a four-goal outburst against Montreal last week.

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In the four historical matches between these two, three have seen both teams score and the over 2.5 goals bet cash. LAFC defeated Portland 4-1 at home earlier this season.

Best Bet: Both teams to score & over 2.5 goals (-110)

Houston Dynamo vs Sporting Kansas City Odds

Team Spread Moneyline Odds Total
Houston -0.5 (-105) -110 O 3.0 (+110)
Sporting KC +0.5 (-115) +260 U 3.0 (-135)
Draw N/A +265 N/A

SKC Playing Third Game in Seven Days

Ok so, the Sporting KC winless streak was finally snapped last week after a string of nine overall matches without a win. Playing home to one of the West’s best, the Seattle Sounders, they came away 3-2 winners. They led 2-0 at the half before Seattle cut the lead to one in the 63′ minute.

But KC responded just minutes later through a third goal of the day from Johnny Russell. Seattle would get another back three minutes later but KC held on for the win.

So Sporting are back to winning ways and can begin to regain contenders status in the West? Not so fast. On Wednesday, they hosted the LA Galaxy.

While they had their share of chances and were only down 1-0 until late on in the match, SKC succumbed to the return of Zlatan Ibrahimović to LA after a two-game suspension and fell back into the loss column in a 2-0 defeat. Ibra had a goal and assist.

Now, on Saturday, June 1, 2019 at 8:30 pm EST, Sporting will travel to BBVA Compass Stadium to face the Houston Dynamo.

Houston have cooled off a little with just one win in four and will likely be without Albert Elis. However, the two losses in that time came on the road. Saturday’s match will come at home where Houston is an undeafeated 6-2-0 and averaging 1.88 goals per game.

SKC have yet to win on the road at 0-2-3 and have scored just four time in those games. Saturday will also be their third game in seven days and I’m betting the travel catches up to them in what’s expected to be a balmy night in Houston.

Best Bet: Houston to win (-110) or Houston over 1.5 teams goals (-135)

MLS Week 14 Parlay Bets

Here are a couple small parlay bets to consider for this weekend’s action.

Parlay 1: Vancouver Whitecaps vs Toronto FC & FC Dallas vs Seattle Sounders

The weekend slate of games kicks off with an all-Canadian matchup Friday night at 10:00 pm EST when TFC travel to BC Place in Vancouver.

The Whitecaps, with many new additions this season, expectedly struggled early on. However, since April 17, they’ve lost just once in seven games. They defeated Dallas 2-1 last week and have scored twice in each of their past two games.

Clean sheets have been hard to come by for the Whitecaps though, as they’ve conceded in each of their past four. Both teams have scored in each of their past three and in five of seven.

Toronto FC have severely cooled off with zero wins in their past five matches. They’ve suffered through injuries to Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley and a suspension to Alejandro Pozuelo.

Both Altitore and Pozuelo are expected to be in the starting XI for Greg Vanney on Friday and should give Toronto a offensive spark. But TFC have kept a clean sheet on the road just once this season.

Plus, when you consider the rivalry and that both teams have scored in four of five meetings, goals should be in the cards Friday night.

With the amount of scoring in many MLS games, it’s not often you can find odds better than say -500 on there simply being two goals in a match. But in the case of FC Dallas and Seattle a bet on over 1.5 goals is paying -360.

Bookmakers are surely expecting a slightly tighter match, but getting two goals in an MLS match is usually a good bet. Just look at the five midweek matches this week which all had two or more goals. Two had three. One had six.

In 2018, Seattle won 2-1 at home, while Dallas won 3-0 at their home ground.

But none of those featured these two teams I get it. However, of the past 13 head-to-head matches between Dallas and Seattle only one had fewer than two goals scored. Earlier this year they played out a 2-1 Dallas win in preseason. In 2018, Seattle won 2-1 at home, while Dallas won 3-0 at their home ground.

In 2019, only twice in 14 games have Dallas seen under two goals in their games. For Seattle, that number is just four in 14. The Sounders will be without suspended captain Nicolás Lodeiro, but I believe these sides can muster up a couple goals Saturday night.

Parlay Bet: Vancouver/Toronto both teams to score & Dallas/Seattle over 1.5 goals (-106)

Parlay 2: Columbus Crew vs New York City FC & Colorado Rapids vs FC Cincinnati

Finally, I’ll look to pair together a couple teams in the double chance market. This means they can either win or draw their matches.

Quietly, New York City FC have been one of the most consistent teams this season. While they only have four wins in 12 matches, they also only have one loss. At 4-7-1 they are sixth in the East. That one loss is also a distant memory coming nine games back.

NYCFC have won two of three, drawing one, with each coming on the road.

Columbus were already in a world of trouble this season having lost each of their past three, and having won just once in nine. Now the pillar of their team, Federico Higuain, has been announced out for the season with a torn ACL.

The injury was sustained last week, in a 3-2 road loss to Colorado, who had previously only won once all year.

Which brings me to the Rapids. Previously winless in their opening 11 games of the season, Colorado have finally put together a three-game unbeaten streak. Colorado defeated the LA Galaxy 1-0 on the road, the Crew 3-2 at home last weekend, and drew the Philadelphia Union 1-1 in Philly on Wednesday.

While I don’t love betting a team coming off a mid-week match, the alternative doesn’t look very appealing.

Expansion side FC Cincinnati have allowed seven goals in their past two matches. Both were losses, and their maiden voyage in MLS has proved tough. They’re currently suffering through a stretch that’s seen them win just once in ten games.

You can never fully trust the Rapids, but the arrow seems to be pointing up right now and at home in altitude against an expansion side, I like their chances.

Parlay Bet: NYCFC and Colorado double chance bets (win or draw) at (+107)

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