The 2019 MLS season got underway last week. We learned some things, some things stayed the same.
The New York Red Bulls played their B team to save legs for the CONCACAF Champions League; NYCFC stumbled to a 2-2 draw; Atlanta United looked poor with Frank de Boer, losing 2-0 to a might-be-a-contender DC United; and Zlatan did Zlatan things (read 5 more things learned during Matchweek 1 here).
How does 2019 MLS Matchweek 2 look? Let’s examine the lines and some things to watch.
2019 MLS Matchweek 2 Game Odds
Remember, home team is listed first. If you need a refresher, visit how to bet MLS or how to bet soccer.
All listed odds from FanDuel NJ Sportsbook.
| Chicago Fire -130 | Draw +290 | Orlando City +320 |
| New England Revolution +135 | Draw +250 | Columbus Crew +190 |
| FC Dallas -145 | Draw +320 | LA Galaxy +340 |
| Houston Dynamo +105 | Draw +260 | Montreal Impact +230 |
| Real Salt Lake -150 | Draw +310 | Vancouver Whitecaps +380 |
| San Jose Earthquakes +135 | Draw +250 | Minnesota United +190 |
| Seattle Sounders -210 | Draw +360 | Colorado +500 |
| NYCFC -125 | Draw +280 | DC United +320 |
| Sporting KC -135 | Draw +300 | Philadelphia Union +330 |
| Atlanta United -240 | Draw +390 | Cincinnati +550 |
| LAFC -140 | Draw +300 | Portland Timbers +340 |
MLS Matchweek 2 Odds and Ins
Week 1 surprisingly saw only three odds on favorites. Matchweek 2 doubles that total to six. Some notes:
- NYCFC finds themselves at -125 (so bet $125 to win $100) at home against a potentially strong DC United (+320, so bet $100 to win $320) squad. With Wayne Rooney and Luciano Acosta picking up right where they left off from last year, there may be some value there with DCU. It’ll be interesting to see if NYCFC’s Alexandru Mitrita builds on a promising debut in front of the home crowd.
- Maybe it’s more of a hunch, but we think LA Galaxy is going to have a strong, playoff-caliber year. Priced at +340, even on the road against FC Dallas, are longer odds than they may deserve. Plus, you know, Zlatan.
- Oddly, we may know a lot about Atlanta United (this week’s biggest favorite at -240) after this weekend’s match against expansion FC Cincinatti (biggest dog at +550). Another poor de Boer showing and the #DeBoerOut movement will grow exponentially. Perhaps giving the team some run back in Tata Martino’s successful 3-5-2 system (instead of the 3-4-3 that’s definitely not working) will snap United out of its early funk. If de Boer has learned anything from his previous two wildly unsuccessful stops at Inter and Palace, it might be to not stubbornly stick with something that’s not working–especially when you know something will work with the personnel you have.
