Four sides from the Western Conference battle it out for places in the quarter finals of the MLS is Back tournament out in Orlando on Monday evening, on what has all the hallmarks of being a very good night of football it must be said.
We’ve already seen Orlando City, Philadelphia Union, New York City FC and Sporting Kansas City seal their spots in the last eight of the competition and on Monday night the reigning MLS champions Seattle Sounders will look to join them.
The Format
The 26 MLS teams have now become 24 with FC Dallas and Nashville being withdrawn from the tournament after positive Covid tests. The remaining teams have been placed into six groups of four. Each team plays the other three in their group once in the group stage. The results of these matches not only count in this tournament but also towards the regular season when it resumes. At the end of the group stage the top two from each group and the four best third placed finishers go into a 16-team knockout stage. The entire tournament takes place in Orlando with the final scheduled for August 11. There is a Champions League place for the winners which should ensure it is competitive.
Special Offer
OPEN AN ACCOUNT WITH 888SPORT AND BET £10 TO GET £30 IN FREE BETS PLUS A £10 CASINO BONUS! PERFECT OFFER TO USE ON THIS TOURNAMENT! CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO JOIN. USE CODE 30F. NEW ACCOUNTS ONLY. 18+ T&Cs apply (See image for significant terms). Gamble Aware.
San Jose Earthquakes vs Real Salt Lake (01.30 – Sky Main Event & Sky Football)
The opening match of the night sees two teams who might be going under the radar battling it out when the San Jose Earthquakes take on Real Salt Lake with the winners progressing to a quarter final against either Columbus Crew or Minnesota United.
The Earthquakes made it into this match courtesy of topping Group B while Real Salt Lake edged through as one of the best third placed sides in the competition. I’ve been keen on the hopes of the Earthquakes throughout the campaign so far and their teamwork is really impressing me. That is in contrast to Real Salt Lake who are a more organised side who rely on their big players to deliver the goods for them in both boxes. My hunch is that the Earthquakes will come out on top here but this is one that could easily go to penalties so I’m happy to sit this one out.
Seattle Sounders vs Los Angeles FC (04.00 – Free Sports)
The second match of the night is undoubtedly the pick of the two as the two sides who met in the Western Conference final last season clash when the MLS Cup winners Seattle Sounders host the Supporters’ Shield holders Los Angeles FC in what should be a brilliant contest.
The two teams start out knowing that the winners will take on Orlando in the quarter final so there is a huge chance to be just two wins away from next season’s Champions League before they have really got going for the current MLS term. Both sides have shown good form at times in this tournament. It took Seattle a couple of games to find their range but they are no strangers to doing that. Their win over Vancouver was emphatic enough to suggest they are on track now. LAFC have been free scoring in this tournament which was a concern going in without Carlos Vela. They’ve been wide open at the back too.
I expect to see some goals in this match. When they met in the Conference final last season Seattle won 3-1 at LAFC and I’m expecting a similar number of goals here. Seattle haven’t convinced anyone defensively for a while and LAFC have been wide open all tournament. There are serious amounts of goals in this Los Angeles side though but Seattle aren’t short of goalscorers either. It all leads to over 3.25 goals to me.
Tips
WON – Back Seattle Sounders vs Los Angeles FC – Over 3.25 goals for a 3/10 stake at 2.00 with BetVictor
Back it here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2020
