Things continue to heat up in Major League Soccer, with more and more teams standing out as legitimate contenders for when the postseason rolls around. This weekend, there are some exciting showdowns for fans to enjoy. In this article, we have MLS picks for big-time July 17 matchups. Which teams will end up coming out victorious this weekend?
Starting things off, Atlanta United and New England will be a must-watch meeting for everyone to want to check out. Thus far this season for New England, they’ve been nothing short of sensational on the pitch, as they sit in first place of the Eastern Conference standings with their 24 points. As for Atlanta, it’s been a disappointing year, with them in 10th place with 13 points.
New England has seven wins, three draws and three losses in 13 matchups this season. Their offense has been outstanding, with them scoring 22 goals. With that said, the defense has been a bit worrisome, as they’ve given up 18 goals. That’s most definitely going to be a concern for the team moving forward, as their goal differential of only +4 isn’t what supporters had in mind.
| MLS odds |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NE to win | +130 | +130 | +130 | +130 |
| Atlanta to win | +165 | +165 | +165 | +165 |
| NY to win | -140 | -140 | -140 | -140 |
| Miami to win | +340 | +340 | +340 | +340 |
Offensively, the team is led in scoring by Gustavo Bou, who has six goals on the year. Adam Muksa has five goals. Let’s not forget about Carles Gil, who has recorded an impressive 10 assists. These three have made a monster impact for the club. Come Saturday, we’ll see if they can help New England record a road win, as they hold +130 MLS odds to win.
Atlanta will of course try and do everything possible to prevent their home fans from leaving the stadium unhappy, as they have +165 odds. There’s also +250 odds of things ending in a draw. We don’t think that will be the case, with our pick going with New England. They’ve proven to be dangerous throughout the year. While winning on the road won’t be easy, New England surely has what it takes to record the W.
Elsewhere on the schedule, the Red Bulls are monster favorites going up against Inter Miami on Saturday. With New York set to host Inter Miami this time around, they will have plenty of confidence playing in front of their fans. The Las Vegas Sportsbooks sure like NY’s chances of coming away with a victory, as they will enter that matchup holding -140 odds.
Inter Miami will take the field as the underdogs, with the club being given +340 odds. That +340 sure must be concerning for the Inter Miami supporters, but it really makes sense from our chair. In the MLS Eastern Conference standings, the Red Bulls are in seventh place with 17 points. As for Inter Miami, they’ve disappointed this season, recording eight points. They’re in 13th place.
What’s been the big issue for Miami this season has been its inconsistency on both ends of the field. The team has a truly alarming -8 goal differential, as they’ve only scored nine goals and given up 17. Head coach Phil Neville wasn’t expecting this kind of a let down from his side this season, but that’s unfortunately been the case for this Eastern Conference team.
For the Red Bulls, they’ll know that their attack shouldn’t have too much of a problem breaking down Miami’s defense. With the fans ready to try and make an impact as well, this is only going to make things even more difficult for Neville’s side. We’re picking the Red Bulls to win this one. Do you agree that New York will record the win? If so, check out our betting sites, like Bovada, and get your wager in.
Last but not least, will the Columbus Crew be able to take down NYCFC? That’s what MLS fans can’t wait to find out this weekend, as the two clubs will do battle in Ohio. The Crew are considered to be slight favorites for this one as the home team with their +145 odds. However, NYCFC has been listed at +160, which tells us that this has what it takes to be a see-saw affair. Coach Caleb Porter is confident, especially with Lucas Zelarayán playing so well.
“He was absolutely incredible,” Porter said after the team’s 2-2 draw with FC Cincinnati. “Anybody that watched that game watched his performance, watched how he dribbles out of things, how he held the ball, how hard he worked, how much he cares. For me, if you factor all those things in, I don’t think there’s a better attacking designated player in the league.”
Entering this one, NYCFC is in sixth place of the Eastern Conference table and Columbus is in eighth place. Though Columbus is the small favorite here, we think that NYCFC will be able to go to that tough road environment and record a close win. Again, this has what it takes to be a back-and-forth kind of a game, but after the final whistle, our pick is for NYCFC to do the celebrating.
