We know half of the teams who will be competing in the MLS Cup Playoffs Conference finals next weekend and on Sunday evening we will find out the identity of the other two teams when the second set of Conference semi-finals take place.
Seattle Sounders and New York Red Bulls await the winners of these two matches which will be shown live and in full on Apple TV while bookmaker live streams will also offer up the chance to watch them.
Orlando City SC vs Atlanta United (20.30)
The second Eastern Conference semi-final sees two more rivals battling it out when Orlando City SC host Atlanta United in a match which would see the Floridians hosting the Conference final should they win it, while Atlanta will head to New York next weekend if they come out on top.
Atlanta head to Orlando buoyed by seeing off the Supporters’ Shield winners Inter Miami over three wonderful clashes in the last round while they also know that they won in this very stadium on Decision Day when they had to win to have any chance of just making the postseason so they will be very confident here. To be fair to Orlando, they held their nerve in game three against Charlotte to come through on penalties but it felt like the longer that tie went on and the demise of the top two seeds were becoming more and more apparent that the pressure was beginning to get to them and their performance levels dropped. With that in mind, Orlando just look incredibly short to me in this match, not least because Atlanta have done the double over their rivals this season. You can actually get odds against on Atlanta with a goal start on the Asian handicap which means that even if they lose by a goal we will get a full refund. I suspect this will be a tight and tense affair because whoever wins this will probably go favourite to make the MLS Cup Final next month. This has all the hallmarks of a match which could easily go to extra time and beyond but if Atlanta score, which they have done in all of their playoff matches this season and in both games against Orlando, I don’t see Orlando scoring three in a game where getting the win is the only thing of importance.
Special Offer
Open a new Sporting Index account and bet £10 on the MLS (min odds 1/2) to get £20 in free bets (2x£10 free bets) to use on any sports market! Click the image below to take advantage of this great offer! 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Responsibly.
LA Galaxy vs Minnesota United (23.00)
We conclude the Conference semi-finals with the team who are now in control of home advantage for as long as they remain in the competition in the form of LA Galaxy when they host an organised and potentially dangerous Minnesota United side.
Seattle Sounders await the winners of this match with LA Galaxy hosting them if they win and Minnesota heading to Seattle if they are victorious here. The first issue the visitors will need to overcome here is the fact that no team has beaten LA Galaxy in this stadium this season. The only home match the Galaxy have lost is when they hosted Los Angeles FC at the Rose Bowl so that should give the hosts a great deal of confidence for this match. The other problem Minnesota have is LA Galaxy probably boast the best front four in the entire league and have a perfectly adequate backup to them in Marco Reus too. We know how Minnesota will setup here. They will sit in with their 5-4-1 formation which has worked so well for them over the last couple of months but they have to stay tight at the back because this isn’t really a side set up to play from behind. On the flip side, if they can score first and give themselves something to hold on to then they could just last home for a win. It is hard to ignore the home form of the Galaxy and the potency of that front four though and I think Minnesota more than meet their match here.
Tips
Back Atlanta United (+1AH) to beat Orlando City SC for a 3/10 stake at 2.03 with Bet365
Back LA Galaxy to beat Minnesota United for a 3/10 stake at 1.80 with Betway
