MLS Is Back Quarterfinal Odds Paint A Clear Picture

• The quarterfinals of the MLS is Back tournament are now fully set, with four matches over the weekend to decide the semifinals.
• Philadelphia Union (+245 odds) faces Sporting Kansas City (-101) and New York City FC (+130) take on the Portland Timbers (+192) in two of the closer matchups.
• Elsewhere, Minnesota United (+197) battle the San Jose Earthquakes (+127) and Orlando City (+250) looks to keep the dream alive against dominant LAFC (-112).

ORLANDO, Fla. – The MLS is Back tournament has been one of the most captivating and surprisingly successful sporting events throughout the timeline of the pandemic.

So far, there has been no coronavirus outbreak among teams, and play has continued rather seamlessly from Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex.

The group stage and round of 16 both provided some tremendous action from all of the league teams which has now led us to the quarterfinals.

After some upsets in the last round, only eight teams remain. With season cup points on the line, the intensity will be extremely high heading into this weekend’s matchups.

It is important to note that all games during the tournament go directly to a penalty shootout in the case of a draw after 90 mins of play. This means that the “draw” line bet will hit if the game goes to penalties.

Most online sportsbooks will offer odds for each team to advance and win via regular time or penalties.

The first match of the quarterfinals sees the Philadelphia Union taking on Sporting Kansas City. Sporting looked lethal in their last match against the Vancouver Whitecaps during which they sent in 37 shot attempts. However, they were unable to reach a decision and had to get the win in a penalty shootout.

They face a similar squad in the Union, who have one of the best goalkeepers in the league in Andre Blake. With this game looking like it will be very close, the edge is going to Philadelphia here simply due to goalkeeping.

PICK: Philadelphia Union

As the de facto “home team” of the tournament, Orlando City has seen a spark in performance that hasn’t been found since the club joined MLS in 2015. Orlando City won Group A after back to back wins over Inter Miami and NYCFC, the first back to back wins for the club in two years.

Unfortunately, the purple Lions time in the spotlight may be coming to an end as they face off against the buzzsaw that is LAFC. Los Angeles showed their power against the defending champion Seattle Sounders in a 4-1 win to reach this spot and could make quick work of the still unproven Orlando City squad.

PICK: LAFC

Minnesota United is another young team facing a renaissance in the MLS is Back tournament. Manager Adrian Heath has the club performing better than ever before and it was on full display in their narrow win over the strong Columbus Crew. Minnesota has yet to lose a game in 2020.

While San Jose has looked impressive, they do not play well against Minnesota, losing three straight by a combined score of 11 to 3. History pays little value here, but Minnesota looks like a team that should be playing the semifinals.

PICK: Minnesota Untied

The final match of the quarters sees NYCFC taking on the Portland Timbers in one of the closest matchups on paper.

The tournament stories so far for these teams have been polar opposites. Portland cruised through the group stage before needed penalties to overcome FC Cincinnati in the Round of 16. NYCFC struggled in the group stage but then comfortably knocked off Toronto FC in their first knockout match.

In terms of form, NYCFC has to be the better team going into this match. While Portland is a great team, NYC will undoubtedly give them more trouble than Cincinnati and should be the best choice for soccer bettors.

PICK: NYCFC