With the season moving along, it’s worth watching the injury lists for additions (such as Jordan Morris in Seattle) and subtractions (such as Lorenzo Insigne in Toronto). As the team rosters fluctuate through the middle of the season, key players absent or added can significantly affect the game.
Neil FitzGerald here from The Game Day to look at the upcoming matches for Matchday 16 in Major League Soccer.
The MLS odds I use for my betting picks are current as of 2 p.m. ET on May 29 at the indicated sportsbook.
Atlanta vs New England Preview
After three losses, Atlanta bounced back with a dominant 4-0 home win against Colorado and two successive road ties, 3-3 versus Chicago and 1-1 versus Orlando on the weekend. While their home record includes only one loss to date, they are playing a tough New England team, so it’s hard to bet too aggressively on the win.
Bruce Arena’s Revolution have now not won a league game in their last three after being unbeaten in their previous eight. They needed a goal by Jozy Altidore to salvage a tie at home against a Chicago team that was winless on the road this year.
The Revs will likely right the ship shortly, but on the road is not the time to wager on that this week.
● ATLANTA vs NEW ENGLAND PICK: Total Goals over 2.5 (-145) • PointsBet Sportsbook: With Atlanta’s league-leading offense and New England having conceded eight goals in their last three games, this looks like a solid bet.
Columbus vs Colorado Preview
Coming off back-to-back losses, Columbus will be happy to be back at home this week versus the Rapids.
They have scored at an impressive rate this season with 26 goals total and are paced by Argentinian midfielder Lucas Zelarayan (6 goals and three assists). Look for a bounceback performance at home this week.
Colorado has lost four matches in a row and are having a difficult time finding the scoresheet, with only 12 goals scored to date. However, going on the road to Columbus will not make things easier, with Columbus having lost only once on home turf.
DC vs Montreal Preview
D.C. United has now only lost two league matches in their last eight games. Unfortunately, one of those losses was this last weekend against a Toronto team decimated by injury and locker room discord.
Wayne Rooney’s squad did only lose by a goal (2-1) after he made a rare triple substitution before halftime and awoke the team for the second half. Look for Rooney’s team to redeem themselves this Wednesday in front of the home crowd.
Back home in their last game, Montreal bounced back from two successive losses with a solid 1-0 win against their conference rival Miami. Unfortunately for Montréal, they are playing on the road this week, where they have a dismal 1-7 record, including six games without scoring a goal.
● DC UNITED vs MONTREAL PICK: DC United to win (-140) • PointsBet Sportsbook: With DC United’s strong form coming into their last game and their bounce-back second half versus Toronto, they should be firing against a weaker road team.
Miami vs New York RB Preview
Miami have now followed up their three-game winning streak with a three-game losing streak. Last week, they lost a close 1-0 match to Montréal at Saputo Stadium and will now look to change their luck at home vs a winless Red Bulls on the road. However, with their inconsistent form, calling for an outright win is too bold a pick.
The Red Bulls were unbeaten in three league games before a tough loss to Seattle on the weekend. New York kept the Western conference leading Sounders to a single shot on target, but unfortunately, that shot found the net.
Look for The Red Bulls to keep the strong play going in Miami and perhaps consider a longer-shot road win bet here.
● MIAMI vs NEW YORK PICK: Total Goals under 2.5 (-136) • FanDuel Sportsbook: With both teams’ anemic offensive output to date and relatively tight defensive work, a low-scoring affair is expected.
● MIAMI vs NEW YORK PICK: New York to win (+160) • FanDuel Sportsbook: With the Red Bulls' recent strength of play, take the longer odds against a bottom-of-the-conference Miami team.
New York City vs Cincinnati Preview
NYCFC lost their first home game of the season last week against Philadelphia, and they face another formidable opponent this week in Cincinnati. With New York being winless in five, including four losses, it will be challenging to see them get a result against the league-leading team.
Cincinnati is five points clear in the Supporter’s Shield race and is one of the strongest teams in the league. They won on the road versus Colorado last week, so expect more of the same this week.
● NEW YORK vs CINCINNATI PICK: Cincinnati to win (+250) • PointsBet Sportsbook: There is no good reason to vote against Cincinnati’s momentum continuing this week against a struggling New York team.
Philadelphia vs Charlotte Preview
The Union have only lost once in their last nine league games, and although they played several weaker teams in this run, they scored an impressive 3-1 on the road in New York last week following a decisive 3-0 win over New England in the previous game. Therefore, look for the Union to take control of this game at home.
Charlotte is coming off a competitive 1-0 win over the LA Galaxy and has moved into the middle of the playoff pack. They have four wins in their last five league matches and will want to keep that momentum going as they play a strong Union squad looking to maintain their strong momentum.
Toronto vs Chicago Preview
Despite a lengthy injury list and some internal team issues, Bob Bradley’s Reds played a strong match on the weekend, beating an accelerating DC United team 2-1. Lorenzo Insigne was back in the line up and delivered two assists to help Toronto score their first goals in over four matches.
Playing at home versus a Chicago team that is winless on the road presents a tempting option, but it’s best to lay off for now.
Chicago is coming off successive 3-3 ties at New England and hosting Atlanta. These six goals highlight their ability to find the net, but they’ve only won a single contest in their last eight league matches, and they are winless on the road, so it’s hard to bet on a result here.
Austin vs Minnesota Preview
Gyasi Zardes scored for the third game in a row, but it wasn’t enough to extend Austin’s surprising two-game winning streak against state-rival Houston.
They played a competitive match against a solid defensive team but couldn’t hold onto an early 1-0 lead. Look for their home field to motivate Austin but be careful about investing too much now.
Minnesota escaped a home-field disaster against Salt Lake last week thanks to an own goal from their opponents and kept a three-game unbeaten streak alive.
While it may be interesting to bet on a low-scoring affair in Austin, Minnesota has won four times on the road this year, so they are an interesting dark horse this week.
● AUSTIN vs MINNESOTA PICK: Minnesota to win (+240) • PointsBet Sportsbook: With Minnesota’s ability to compete on the road and Austin’s mediocre home-field advantage, the odds look interesting for this longer shot.
Kansas City vs Dallas Preview
Sporting KC bounced back from last week’s 4-0 loss in St Louis to the tune of a dominating 4-1 win over Portland on the weekend. Kansas City has only lost once in their last five league matches, so they will look to continue their improving form versus a tough Dallas defense.
Thanks to an injury-time goal by Nkosi Tafari on the weekend versus San Jose, Dallas has only lost once in their last ten league matches and is unbeaten in six.
Their defense has been so stingy that they’ve only conceded 14 goals all season. Look for FC Dallas to make it difficult for the middling Sporting KC offense.
Salt Lake vs Los Angeles Preview
After a 1-1 tie with Minnesota on the weekend where they scored one goal into each net, Salt Lake has only lost one league game in their previous seven. While they should be starting to get your attention, it’s not a good match week to start investing as they play a Los Angeles team playing at a level above their recent results indicate.
Los Angeles sits at the foot of the league standings, but they have recently been playing with increased competitiveness. However, they are having difficulty finding the net now, with no goals scored in their last three league games.
Expect an energized Greg Vanney squad looking to score against a team that does concede but doesn’t invest in the result.
Seattle vs San Jose Preview
The Sounders have won only twice in their last seven games and were bumped from their perch atop the Western Conference last week [by LAFC]. Seattle lost a 2-0 rivalry match in Vancouver and will look to get back on track versus a New York team that has yet to win on the road this season.
The Earthquakes are reeling from another injury-time goal against last weekend. They lost the win to Dallas with a 95th-minute concession, and this after their last loss came off an injury-time penalty kick to LAFC’s Carlos Vela.
Playing on the road where they are winless will not help, and Seattle is always a difficult place to play.
Vancouver vs Houston Preview
Despite dominating possession on the weekend, the Whitecaps found themselves on the wrong side of a 3-1 result versus St Louis.
The recent results for Vancouver have been highly variable, as they beat a strong Seattle team last week. As such, it’s worth watching and waiting for this team to find consistency.
Houston came out of their two-game state rivalry matches with a 1-1 tie versus Dallas and a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over a stubborn Austin team.
They have been strong on the back end all year, having only conceded 12 goals but are winless on the road. If they can find the scoresheet again this week, look for them to be competitive but not worth an investment now.
