The first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs concludes on Monday evening when the last two matches take place as we finalise the identity of the two Conference semi-finals which will take place over the course of next weekend.
We have one match in the Eastern Conference to get us underway before we head to the Western Conference to close out the weekend. Both matches are on TV for us to enjoy but you might need Tuesday off work to be able to stay up for the second one.
New York City FC vs Inter Miami (00.00 – Sky Football & Free Sports)
The opening match of the night comes from Citi Field, the usual home of the New York Mets but for the evening it plays host to the champions New York City FC. They will look to take a step closer to defending their title when they host Inter Miami.
Inter Miami hold claims for being the form team going into the postseason having won four of their last five and the one they didn’t win came a few days after they secured their playoff spot. New York City certainly don’t bring that form into this match with them but they have won their last three games so this should be two confident teams going at it. The winners know a trip to Montreal awaits them in the semi-finals at the weekend so there is a real chance for one of these two to go deep in this postseason. Miami certainly don’t lack for motivation. They know Gonzalo Higuain will retire the next time they lose a match and they’ll want to send him out on a high while NYCFC are looking to make a successful defence of the title. I think that will make for a game where both teams go for it rather than the one in this Conference on Sunday where both teams were intent to spoil the game. If they do then we have enough attacking talent on the pitch to get more than 2.5 goals.
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FC Dallas vs Minnesota United (02.30 – Sky Football & Free Sports)
The final match of the first round of the postseason sees the team who finished third in the Western Conference in FC Dallas hosting the sixth placed side in the regular season table in the form of Minnesota United.
Minnesota United are playing knockout football for the second week in a row as they had to beat the Vancouver Whitecaps last week just to make it into the extended part of the campaign. FC Dallas have been cruising through to the postseason but they head into this encounter without a defeat at home in their last seven matches. They have turned Toyota Stadium into a real fortress in recent times and that will give them a lot of confidence for this one. There is no shortage of technical quality in this Minnesota side though and if they have a night out this could be a tough encounter for the Loons. I fancy Dallas will ride the home crowd in Texas to victory and set up a Texan clash with Austin FC at the weekend but at odds on I don’t see a huge amount of value so I’ll leave this one alone.
Tips
Back New York City FC vs Inter Miami – Over 2.5 goals for a 3/10 stake at 1.87 with Betfair
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