The second leg of the best-of-three series in the opening round of the MLS Cup Playoffs get underway on Friday night when two of the ties have the chance to be settled on what should be a cracking night of football.
Both away teams on Friday night won their home game to go 1-0 up in the respective series so the onus is on the home teams to win and level the series else they will find their season is over. Apple TV has full coverage with bookmaker live streams showing the games too.
Charlotte FC vs Orlando City SC (23.30)
The second set of games begins in Charlotte where Charlotte FC look to take their tie to a deciding match when they play host to an Orlando City SC who drew first blood last weekend and have the chance to progress with a match to spare here.
Charlotte will head into this match fairly confident because they were so good at home in the regular season but they are the ones under pressure to deliver the goods and although the home team is expected to level the series, only three of the eight managed to do that last year. Charlotte will need to be a little more proactive in this match and won’t have the services of Pep Biel to call upon after his sending off in game one. Orlando were comfortable winners of that opening match and will probably sit back on the counter here and look to take their chances on the break or with set plays but they are one of the better teams in the MLS on their travels. I thought the opening game of this series would be a low scoring one and I’m not seeing any different here. Whoever goes in front I expect to control the game and ride their defence to victory but the goal line is 2.5 and that isn’t one I like to take the under on in MLS so I’ll leave this one alone and maybe look to get on Charlotte in play if they start well.
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Colorado Rapids vs LA Galaxy (01.30)
We move to the Western Conference for the second match of the night where the season is on the line for the Colorado Rapids when they look to get the better of an LA Galaxy side who ran all over them in the opening game of the series.
Rapids were thrashed 5-0 in Los Angeles over the weekend and it goes without saying they will need to be a whole lot better in this match if they are to force a decider. The key thing for their chances will be whether Cole Bassett and Djordje Mihailovic will be fit to play. Both are officially questionable and if both suit up they have a chance but without them this could be another long night for the Rapids. You would imagine with the season on the line both will feature in some fashion. Even then though LA Galaxy might just have the Rapids covered. The 5-0 win came hot on the heels of a 3-1 win in Colorado earlier in the October month. Galaxy look in a real good groove right now and Marco Reus only played 20 odd minutes of that 5-0 rout so there could be even more to come from them here. Their front four all look in exceptional form at present and even at altitude the Galaxy are well within their rights to be hard to beat here. LA will want to get the job done here and now and in what might well be a high scoring match I think they are value to get the win they desire although I’ll take the draw cover in case those two key Rapids players come on late and take it to penalties.
Tips
Back LA Galaxy (-0.25AH) to beat Colorado Rapids for a 3/10 stake at 2.03 with Bet365
