The Sunday Night Football in the MLS 2025 season this weekend sends us to Canada for the Western Conference clash between the Supporters’ Shield leaders Vancouver Whitecaps and the former champions Los Angeles FC.
We have the best side in MLS this season on show here along with one of the most successful franchises in the competition so we should be in for a good one. The MLS Season Pass on Apple TV has full coverage while bookmaker live streams will show the game.
Vancouver Whitecaps
While the Vancouver Whitecaps have been a more than competitive side in the Western Conference for a while now, there probably wasn’t too many who expected them to pick up 26 points from a possible opening 33 when you consider that they went down a new coaching route in the close season. Jesper Sorensen has come in and transformed the way the Whitecaps play and taken them to a new level and they are already seven points clear at the top of the Western Conference table going into the weekend.
It is the attacking numbers for Vancouver which really stand out so far. They average two goal per game, have the third highest average possession in the league, third highest xG and shots on target per match, have created the second highest big chances and are a mile clear in touches in the opposition box and corners won. That all takes the pressure off the defence which is putting up their own decent numbers too with them having the joint best defence in the league. Everything is looking good for the Canucks.
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Los Angeles FC
With a 5-2-4 record for Los Angeles FC, it hasn’t exactly been a poor start to the season for the former champions but such is how good Vancouver have been it looks like a less than impressive start. When you consider that Steve Cherundolo has already said he will exit as coach at the end of the campaign, the players could have been forgiven for thinking this wasn’t going to be their season but that isn’t the way they have gone, much to their credit.
LAFC head across the border unbeaten in four matches and have scored nine goals in those games. They have conceded six which will be a concern but they have a team who are capable of winning shootouts. If there is a concern for the California based side then it is that they have lost three of their five away matches and shipped 12 goals in that time. They will need to tighten up at the back the longer the season goes on but that is perfectly possible.
Betting
If the Vancouver Whitecaps didn’t have the amount of injuries that they do I would have no problem backing them at odds on here. I still don’t want to oppose them but they are a little short without a couple of big players, not that it is stopping them. Even so, with Los Angeles FC carrying a threat and having the Whitecaps’ number in recent times I am more comfortable betting on the stats markets for this one rather than the match ones.
The bet I like for this one is over 9.5 corners which you can get at 5/6 with Sky Bet. No team in MLS have earned more than the 78 corners that the Vancouver Whitecaps have taken this season. In 11 MLS outings that has equated to an average of 7.1 per game. LAFC are one of the lower corner takers this season with just 50 from their 11 games but they have clicked into gear now that they have found a front three which works for them both in possession and on the counter and their last three matches have seen them take 19 corners in total. I’m expecting an entertaining game which Vancouver will look to dominate and LAFC can play on the counter and over the course of the 90 minutes I expect this one to have plenty more than the 10 corners we require. Vancouver have twice covered this line on their own and have had eight or more on three other occasions in MLS this term. Anything in that ball park and we won’t need much from LAFC to push us to our target. Three times this season LAFC have conceded nine or more corners so there is plenty of reason to think they’ll flow throughout this contest.
Tips
Back Over 10 or more corners for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Sky Bet
