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New York City FC Even-Money Favorites Over Toronto FC In MLS Eastern Conference Semifinal

Lindsey Horsting

by Lindsey Horsting in Soccer News

Updated Apr 13, 2020 · 4:02 PM PDT

NYCFC
New York City FC are rested off a bye and will host TFC in the Eastern Conference Semifinals this week. Photo By @NYCFC (Twitter)
  • New York FC (18-6-10) is the No. 1 seed in the East
  • Toronto (13-10-11) is the No. 4 seed and beat the No. 5 seed DC United 5-1 in the first round of MLS Cup Playoffs
  • New York has only lost one home game all season

New York City FC had a bye the first round of playoffs but will face Toronto FC in the Eastern Conference Semifinals at Citi Field in New York. New York’s MLS Cup odds are +450, while Toronto’s shortened after this weekend’s win to +1600.

No. 4 seed TFC faced No. 5 seed DC United in the first round of MLS Cup Playoffs. Toronto weathered 120 minutes of action against DC United and the Reds are now on an 11-game unbeaten streak.

New York City FC vs Toronto FC Odds

Team Spread Win Total
New York City FC -0.5 (-105) EVEN O 3.0 (-105)
Toronto FC +0.5 (-115) +260 U 3.0 (-115)
Draw N/A +265 N/A

*Odds taken 10/21/19

Toronto played without star forward, Jozy Altidore and centre back Omar Gonzalez due to injuries. Altidore sustained a quad injury in the final regular-season match against Columbus and Gonzalez sat out due to a hamstring injury. Both are hoping to be back in the lineup Wednesday against NYCFC.

No. 1 seed NYCFC has had the benefit of fresh legs and home turf for the match. The Blues have only lost one home game all season and are the better bet at even odds for this match.

History

The two clubs have had playoff meetings in the past. In 2016, under the old playoff format, Toronto FC beat NYCFC 2-0 in Toronto and 5-0 at Yankee Stadium.

NYCFC holds the all-time regular-season record (4-2-5), going undefeated on home turf (2-0-4). This match will be played at Citi Field instead of Yankee Stadium, but home turf nonetheless.

New York and Toronto in Numbers

NYCFC finished with 64 points in the Eastern Conference, six more points than the MLS Cup defending champions, Atlanta United. In MLS standings, NYCFC scored 63 goals this season, second to LAFC who scored a whopping 85 goals. Toronto FC came in at fourth with 57 goals on the season.

New York vs Toronto Head-to-Head

NYCFC
VS
Toronto FC
18-6-10 (2nd in Eastern Conference) Standing 13-10-11 (4th in Eastern Conference)
63 (2nd) Goals 57 (4th)
42 (4th) Goals against 52 (14th)
516 (4th) Shots 439 (16th)

NYCFC has only allowed 42 goals this season, compared to Toronto, who allowed 52 goals on the season.

NYCFC’s Héber Araújo dos Santos led the way for the Blues, scoring 15 goals on the season, followed by Alexandru Mitritã with 12 and Valentín Castellanos with 11.

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Maximiliano Moralez led NYCFC with 20 assists and had seven of his own goals.

NYCFC goalie Sean Johnson had seven shutouts this season and has a save percentage of 67% (78-of-116).

Toronto’s Alejandro Pozuelo has 12 goals, followed by Altidore with 11 and Nick DeLeon with six. Pozuelo and Altidore lead their team with 12 and sevens assists respectively. If Altidore’s injury prevents him from playing in the match against New York, it makes the bet for New York at even-money more desirable.

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TFC has a strong goaltender in Quentin Westberg who has a save percentage of 65.2% on 75-of-115 shots. He has four shutouts on the season, and backup goalie Alex Bono has one shutout.

Meetings This Season

In the teams’ first meeting of the season, NYCFC lost 4-0 to Toronto. Toronto put the pressure on NYCFC’s defense. Coming off an injury, Toronto’s Altidore, got the Reds on the board and midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo scored back-to-back goals. TFC midfielder Jay Chapman scored a goal before the final whistle.

YouTube video

For the teams second meeting, international call-ups, injuries and suspensions affected the starting lineups for both squads. For NYCFC Héber was out due to injury and Morales was suspended for yellow card accumulation, but Jesus Medina stepped up to fill his spot.

The match resulted in a 1-1 draw. Mitritã knocked in a free-kick, but Pozuelo responded quickly from the penalty spot. Pozuelo had the chance to give TFC the lead with another penalty kick, but Johnson came up big with the save.

The X Factor

Against DC United, Toronto’s Jonathan Osorio scored two goals and had one assist, with both goals scored in the first-half of extra time. If Altidore can’t play against NYCFC, Osorio being on top of his game is that much more important.

Richie Laryea and Nick DeLeon scored one goal apiece in extra-time.

It will take more than an X factor for Toronto FC to knock off the No. 1 seed, especially in New York. NYCFC is the better bet at even odds.

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