It will be a scarier Halloween than normal for four sides in Major League Soccer as the MLS play-offs get underway on Wednesday night. The first round of the postseason is a straight knockout so for the four sides on show on Wednesday seasons are on the line.
We have one former champion on show on Wednesday evening and three sides who will be looking to go all the way for the first time. Star individuals and big teams are on display on what looks a juicy way to start the playoffs.
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New York City FC vs Philadelphia Union (23.00)
The action begins at Yankee Stadium as third in the Eastern Conference, New York City FC host the team that finished sixth in the table in Philadelphia Union for the right to face one of the top two over two legs in the next round.
These two met in the Bronx on Sunday with NYC winning 3-1 and they will be confident of picking up another win which would set up a mouth-watering clash with Atlanta United in the next round. It hasn’t been the best season of all time for NYC but they are traditionally very good on their own patch.
To be fair though Philadelphia Union are one of the better teams on the road. In recent times they have won at DC United and Seattle which are two of the harder places to pick up three points so that should give them plenty of confidence. They also made it all the way to the US Open Cup final this season so they have plenty of experience of winning knockout matches recently.
I think this could turn into the match of the round because both sides will be full of belief going into it. I think that will yield goals in this game. The Union aren’t the best defensively but they play with four attacking players home and away and there is plenty of pace in the side. NYC have technical quality in the key areas so I’m expecting an entertaining beginning to the playoffs. Over 3 will do me.
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FC Dallas vs Portland Timbers (01.30)
The first match in the Western Conference postseason sees traditionally one of the strongest teams in the regular season in FC Dallas hosting the only side on show on Wednesday who know how to win the MLS Cup in Portland Timbers.
Not for the first time Dallas’ form has deserted them at the wrong time. They were looking good to top the Western Conference three weeks ago but three straight defeats saw them tumble down to fourth in the table and they are going to have to do things the hard way. A lack of goals is becoming a real issue with just five goals in their last seven matches.
When Portland Timbers won the title in 2015 they did it on the road and that is something they can draw confidence from even though they don’t have the best away record this season. They do however have the star man on the field in Diego Valeri and that can often be the difference in these matches.
I think this could be a tight match but I actually think it might suit Portland to be away here because the pressure on Dallas to win this match is huge. Three straight losses won’t have helped their cause though so if they are going to come through I fancy they might need more than the 90 minutes. I certainly don’t see Dallas running away with this so Portland on the Asian lines is the way to go here.
Tips
WON – Back New York City FC vs Philadelphia Union – Over 3 goals for a 4/10 stake at 1.91 with BetVictor
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WON – Back Portland Timbers (+0.75AH) to beat FC Dallas for a 4/10 stake at 1.85 with 888sport
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