MLS Matchday 25 Previews: Expect a high score when New England hosts Atlanta

Last week, we saw an expected explosion of goals in the Real Salt Lake versus Orlando game, but we didn’t forecast that only one team would score all of them.

Colorado also put a notch in their home win column, in addition to two road wins for Austin (in Minnesota) and Seattle (in Vancouver).

In Matchday 25, we can expect an exciting match-up of trending teams when Real Salt Lake visits Sporting Kansas City and a battle of two other Western Conference heavyweights in Los Angeles FC and St Louis City FC.

Neil FitzGerald here from The Game Day to look at the upcoming matches for Matchday 25 in Major League Soccer.

The MLS odds I use for my betting picks are current as of 2 p.m. ET on July 10th at the indicated sportsbook.

New England Revolution vs Atlanta Preview

The Revolution were unbeaten in seven games before their 2-1 loss in New York to the Red Bulls last week. The Revs were outshot 22-6 and only had ball possession 42% of the time against a team much lower in the standings.

Going home should reignite their recent run of form, supported by their undefeated record (7-0-3) in front of their fans.

Coming off an impressive 1-0 road win against CF Montreal - a team that plays very tough at home, Atlanta will attempt to recreate their road magic this weekend. Atlanta is two points behind New England and can catch them with a road win here.

They have only lost once in their last five road games (and ten games total), so it’s not beyond the pale, but safer bets here are based on expected combined goal scoring.

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION vs ATLANTA UNITED PICK: Total Goals over 3.5 (+154) FanDuel Sportsbook. Both sides score a ton of goals and also concede regularly, so bet on the fireworks.

New York Red Bulls vs Cincinnati Preview

The Red Bulls pulled off another home win with a big 2-1 victory over New England last week. They were the well-deserved winners, generously outshooting their opponents again (22-6) while playing stellar on the back end.

They have the second-fewest goals allowed in the Eastern Conference, and points this week could see them jump into the playoff picture.

While Cincinnati is still leading in the Supporter’s Shield race with only two losses this season, they have only won once in their last five games.

They will continue to miss two players to the US Gold Cup team this weekend, including striker Brandon Vazquez who played the super-sub and hero for the US team earlier this week in their penalties win over Canada. Now is not yet the time to invest here.

Chicago Fire vs FC Montreal Preview

Chicago has won three out of their last four matches, with their latest coming in a surprising 1-0 victory over Nashville on the weekend. While the points were welcome and bolstered Chicago’s home record (3-1-6), the Fire were outshot 18-6 and only managed a single shot on target.

Betting on Chicago now is optimistic, and it’s best to wait and watch for increased consistency.

Montréal is coming off back-to-back 1-0 home losses to NYCFC and Atlanta.

While shocking considering they were 7-1 at home before those games, Montreal did exercise firm control over large parts of both games, with possession pushing towards 60% in each, so all is not lost with this team just yet.

However, with their 1-8-2 road record, it’s best to wait until Montreal is back at home to invest heavily.

Houston Dynamo vs Minnesota United Preview

Coming off three wins in a row, Houston is now winless in three matches with two losses, followed by a 2-2 tie with Sporting Kansas City.

While it’s likely best to wait and watch for some consistency before investing here, it’s worth noting that the Dynamo did dominate large parts of their last match, outshooting Kansas City 19-5 and holding 59% possession.

Minnesota United has won once in their last seven matches after a tough 4-1 loss to Austin last weekend. They did manage to fire 23 shots in the game but will need to figure out a way to convert those into goals before they are a betting target.

They are just outside the playoff picture and must move soon to secure a spot.

Sporting Kansas City vs Real Salt Lake Preview

After a solid 2-2 result on the road against Houston last weekend, Sporting Kansas City has only lost 3 of their last 13 games. They are a team moving in the right direction but continue to suffer from some inconsistency.

They are 5-2 in their previous seven home games, so they will put up a battle for one of the league’s hottest teams in Real Salt Lake. Unless the odds are fantastic, this is not the battle you want to get behind.

Salt Lake has lost only twice in their previous 15 league matches, and they are unbeaten in seven after a 4-0 dismantling of a strong Orlando squad on the weekend.

This team is one of the hottest teams in the league right now, and their road record (6-3-2) suggests this may be one road team to back this week.

• SPORTING KC vs REAL SALT LAKE PICK: Real Salt Lake Win or Draw (-115). FanDuel Sportsbook. Betting on Real Salt Lake’s road record and team strength with good odds is an interesting gambit.

Nashville SC vs Philadelphia Union Preview

Nashville’s defense leads MLS, having conceded only 17 goals all season, and will look to this strength returning home to host Philadelphia.

While this squad has lost three of four games, they were all on the road, and the games were close. In fact, they outshot Chicago last week 18-6 in their 1-0 loss.

A Nashville squad looking to find goals will also be bolstered by the return of Jacob Shaffelburg, who scored his first international goal for Canada in overtime versus the US in the Gold Cup.

The Union have only lost three times in their last 14 matches and should give Nashville a battle on their home turf. They have, however, lost two in a row, including road losses to LA Galaxy and Atlanta, where they could only find a single goal across both games.

This game looks to be played tightly, and the best bet may be a low-scoring affair.

NASHVILLE SC vs PHILADELPHIA UNION PICK: Total Goals under 2.5 (-110) FanDuel Sportsbook. With both offenses struggling, Nashville at home, and Nashville’s defense, this bet lines up.

Los Angeles FC vs St Louis City FC Preview

LAFC was coming off three losses in a row before last weekend's 1-1 home draw against San Jose. Despite having only won two of their previous nine league games, LA controlled a large part of their last game with 64% possession and a shooting edge of 14-9. 

This skilled team has an opportunity at home this week to turn the corner on their recent run of results and close the gap between them and St Louis.

St Louis City FC remains atop the Western Conference and has the chance to cement their place this week against a conference rival and traditional powerhouse. 

They are still the most successful offense in the West to date (40 goals) with the largest goal differential in MLS(+15), but this week’s test will be a strong one and too challenging to bet on while the team is on the road.

San Jose Earthquakes vs Seattle Sounders Preview

While San Jose remains in the middle of the playoff pack, their recent run of winless play (five games) will threaten that position if it continues much longer. 

San Jose has been strong at home with a 6-1-4 record and will need to leverage that strength to capture three points. 

The Sounders are coming off back-to-back wins, including a big come-from-behind 3-2 away win against Cascadia rival Vancouver last weekend.

Brazilian midfielder Leo Chu scored two to lead the way, and they will need that kind of shared contribution again as they'll be missing forward Jordan Morris to US Gold Cup duty again.

Vancouver Whitecaps vs Austin FC Preview

Before back-to-back losses to KC and Seattle, the Whitecaps were unbeaten in four matches and were proving to be dangerous. They are strong at home with a 5-2-4 record but will be without US International Julian Gressel again due to Gold Cup duty. 

They will have their young Canadian international Ali Ahmed available again, which may help, but they are a bit of a wildcard right now.

Austin is unbeaten in four games after an impressive 4-1 road win in Minnesota last week. They fired eight shots within the Minnesota goal frame last week and converted four. 

They will attempt to continue their recent strong play and work to improve their playoff position in Vancouver, but with the Whitecaps' home record, it’s best to avoid investing too much here.