Noelle Matthews
Seattle heads to Los Angeles this weekend to take on a struggling Galaxy, and the visitors can earn a valuable point from this road trip.
Who do Bettors Favor?
The best-rated online sportsbooks are favoring LA Galaxy to break its winless streak in 2023 when it takes on Seattle this weekend. Bettors make Galaxy the favorite, although at +115, there appears to be some uncertainty in that estimation. Seattle is priced at +230 to pick up a win on the road, while the draw can be backed at around +260.
| LAFC v Seattle |  |  |  |
| LAFC | +118 | +115 | +110 |
| Draw | +260 | +255 | +260 |
| Seattle | +235 | +228 | +230 |
LA Galaxy v Seattle Sounders, April-01-2023
Earning a point in Portland wasn’t the worst result for LA Galaxy last time, but the absence of a ‘W’ on its resume for 2023 is becoming a growing concern. Galaxy has recorded three draws since its opening-day defeat in Dallas, and while this is still early season, every game that goes by without a win puts the pressure on Greg Vanney and his team.
Unfortunately for Galaxy, Seattle is not the ideal opponent to break that winless run. Five games into the season and Brian Schmetzer’s team has only lost once, recording three wins and a draw, including an impressive 4-1 win in Kansas and a solid tie against the reigning MLS Cup champions LAFC. Remarkably, it has only conceded two goals in those five games, and that level of defensive solidity means that Seattle is a good pick to earn a draw here.
Atlanta United v New York Red Bulls, April-01-2023
Free-scoring Atlanta received a dose of its own medicine last weekend when it took on Columbus Crew. Prior to that game, United had recorded three wins and a draw, scoring 11 goals in the process, including five in a demolition of Portland.
That run came to an end in spectacular fashion against Columbus, however, as Atlanta was 5-0 down before the 70-minute mark and eventually lost 6-1.
That makes it hard to get a handle on what we can expect from Atlanta this weekend, although Gerhard Schruber’s New York Red Bulls team is a little easier to predict, having drawn three from five so far, with four goals scored and four conceded. That inability to score freely will count against New York here and the home team look a good bet to win this one.
Orlando v Nashville, April-01-2023
Orlando City takes on Nashville this weekend in an Eastern Conference clash that could be low on goal action but high in defensive organization. Orlando is fourth in the standings, while Nashville is sixth and both teams are looking tough to beat.
In fact, in a combined ten games so far, they have conceded a total of six goals. Orlando has suffered only one defeat, against Charlotte and last week beat the MLS Cup finalists Philadelphia 2-1, while Nashville started the season with two wins and a draw, before slipping to consecutive 1-0 defeats.
The problem for both teams is that they aren’t creating many chances. Orlando is averaging one goal per game while Nashville is at 0.8, and that doesn’t suggest fans going to this game will be in line for much entertainment. This could be a tough watch, and the draw looks the best pick.
FC Dallas v Portland, April-01-2023
FC Dallas has had an unpredictable start to the MLS season, but has a good chance to pick up another win and strengthen its position in the Western Conference when it takes on Portland this weekend.
Nico Estevez’s team has recorded impressive wins over LA Galaxy and Kansas as well as a narrow defeat against LAFC last weekend when it was reduced to ten players for most of the game. On the other hand, it has also lost to Minnesota and dropped points against Vancouver, so we can’t be completely sure which Dallas will turn up this weekend.
Sadly for Timbers’ fans, their team has been a lot more predictable. Five games into the season and Portland has already lost three times, winning only one. Its latest game ended in a 0-0 draw against LA Galaxy, although that did at least halt a run of three games in which it failed to keep a clean sheet.
Nevertheless, Portland has conceded ten goals in its five games this season, and fixing that defensive fragility will be the priority for Giovanni Savarese this weekend. The result could be that Portland offers less going forwards, but it may be enough to earn it a draw in Texas.
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