It is semi-final night in the CONCACAF Leagues Cup on Wednesday as we find out who will compete in the final of the second staging of this tournament. This is a night where not just a space in the final is up for grabs but also a spot in the Champions Cup next term.
That will ensure that we should get a competitive night of football, one which as always can be viewed live with full coverage on the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV for those who have it. The bookmaker live streams will also cover the games.
Columbus Crew vs Philadelphia Union (00.30)
The semi-final on the Eastern side of the draw bracket sees the MLS Cup winners Columbus Crew playing host to an improving Philadelphia Union side at Lower.com Field for a spot in the final and the guaranteed Champions Cup slot that comes with it.
Both these sides had to rely on penalties to come through in the quarter final. The Crew came from behind to level with New York City FC before defeating them on spot kicks while 10-man Philadelphia Union edged out Mazatlan on penalties so both have ridden their luck a little to get to this semi-final. This does look a great match on paper, although there is no doubt that the Crew are advantaged by the joint leading scorer in the competition, Tai Baribo, being missing for the Union. That is fully reflected in the odds though. I do think Columbus will win this but the fact they have had to come from behind in the last two knockout matches puts me off getting involved at a short price, especially with Andre Blake in decent form in the Philly goal.
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Los Angeles FC vs Colorado Rapids (03.00)
The Western side of the draw semi-final sees the 2022 MLS Cup winners Los Angeles FC looking to make it back into another major final when they play host to a much improved Colorado Rapids at BMO Field.
The Rapids will probably be grateful for finally coming up against an MLS team in this tournament after their last four matches have seen them take care of Liga MX sides. Given the last couple of campaigns that they have had these are exciting times for the Rapids and if they can find a win here it would set them up nicely for the immediate future as they would be guaranteed a Champions League spot which should help them attract players and everything that goes with it. Los Angeles FC have looked in excellent form in this tournament, scoring goals for fun and they have the depth of squad with the likes of Lewis O’Brien and Olivier Giroud having arrived in the summer, that allows them to rest and rotate and stay relatively fresh in this really hectic run of fixtures with them having played every three or four evenings. LAFC are favourites for this match, which is perfectly fair when you consider that along with the Columbus Crew they are the idea of the best team in MLS for many judges, but the Rapids merit a bit more respect than a 1.25 Asian line. I think the better bet here is for over 3.25 goals to land. Colorado are going to miss Moise Bombito badly for the remainder of the season and they could certainly have done with him to repel this LAFC attack. There are goals in this Rapids outfit though so if there is an early one here this could descend into typical MLS Western Conference chaos. I like the over.
Tips
Back Los Angeles FC vs Colorado Rapids – Over 3.25 goals for a 3/10 stake at 1.98 with Bet365
