A challenging and lengthy Major League Soccer season as a result comes to an end on Saturday night when the MLS Cup Final takes place as the Eastern Conference winners Columbus Crew host the Western Conference champions Seattle Sounders in what should be a great end to the MLS campaign.
Columbus Crew were touted to be in this final before a ball was kicked this season while the defending champions Seattle Sounders should never be written off when it comes to the postseason. We are set up for a cracking final.
Where to watch
The match will be shown on both the channels that cover the MLS in the UK. It will be on the Sky Main Event, Sky Football and Free Sports channels with the build up beginning at 1.30am and the match itself kicking off shortly after. It is also available to be viewed on the streams with the bookmakers.
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Columbus Crew
The Columbus Crew spent big in the off season prior to the campaign getting underway but they are already seeing the fruits of their labour as they have not only made it to this MLS Cup Final but their record was good enough that they actually host the contest. That will be significant because only the Montreal Impact have left the MAPFRE Stadium with a win throughout the entirety of the season, a record that is sure to give the Crew confidence going into this final.
The catalyst both to their regular season success and the run they have had in these play-offs has been the craft and quality of Lucas Zelarayan but defensively they have been strong throughout the postseason, although that unit is likely to be tested more than ever in this game. There has been a real assurance about Columbus Crew in the latter part of the campaign and this postseason and you get the feeling they are ready to win the title.
Seattle Sounders
The Seattle Sounders will attempt to be the first team since the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2012 to successfully defend the MLS title but if they come up short it certainly won’t be because of a lack of experience. This is their fourth MLS Cup Final in five seasons so they certainly don’t lack knowledge of what the big game entails. Interestingly this is the third time in that spell that they have been away in the final so even that isn’t going to hold any unknowns for them.
This will be the first time Seattle have left CenturyLink Field in this postseason so that will be a nuance of interest in this match, particularly as they weren’t the best on their travels during the regular season, but these days it seems their front three are a huge threat wherever they are playing. One area they will need to tighten up is defensively. A leaky defence nearly proved their undoing in the Western Conference Final and they won’t want it to haunt them here.
Team News
Columbus Crew have been rocked by Covid-19 hitting them at the worst possible time. As a result of that Darlington Nagbe and Pedro Santos will miss this final with Derrick Etienne and Fatai Alashe the two men most likely to get an unexpected chance to start.
Seattle are going to be missing a key cog in their wheel as well in this final as Xavier Arreaga has been left at home as he awaits the birth of his first child. That leaves a bit of a hole in the Sounders defence should anything happen to either centre-back who started the Western Conference Final.
Betting
Those who followed the advice before the season have already banked 62.5pts from the Columbus Crew in this play-off run and you’ll be on them to win this match at 50/1 and although the two Covid absentees aren’t exactly ideal, given that we’ve more than earned enough from them already I’m happy to let the last bit of the outright bet ride for this final. There is a bet that stands out among the side markets though which I’m happy to invest in.
That is over 10.5 corners. Corners have been a feature of the play of both sides in this play-off run with the last four games the two have played in seeing these two sides picking up at least eight of them. That isn’t a surprise because both stretch the field with width and have full-backs that overlap and get forward. Both teams get the ball in the box and invite clearances and deflections with shots around the area. I expect this final to be quite open and the way the two sides look to play should lead to a lot more corners over the course of the 90 minutes.
Tips
WON – Back Over 10.5 corners for a 3/10 stake at 2.10 with Betfair
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