It was a contrast of fates for the two Los Angeles clubs after yesterday’s Major League Soccer 2024 results.
West leaders, LA Galaxy, fended off the feisty Colorado Rapids in a thrilling 3-2 win. Despite a hamstring injury dealt to Galaxy’s leading scorer, Dejan Joveljić, Greg Vanney’s men were able to pull out all the stops and win their seventh game out of their last 10.
Meanwhile, their SBOTOP Major League Soccer rivals struggled to break away from Real Salt Lake in a close affair for second place.
The two sides ended level (1-1) after 90 minutes. The Black and Gold scored first when Salt Lake goalkeeper Zac MacMath was caught in no man’s land, which allowed Cristian Olivera to score on an unguarded goal.
The Claret and Cobalt equalised in the 33rd minute via a deflected free-kick from Brayan Vera.
With the Western Conference’s top three all separated by two points, tomorrow’s results could see Los Angeles and Utah shuffle places.
LA Galaxy vs Portland Timbers
After a slow start to the season, the Timbers have won four out of their last five games, and are currently on a high after a huge 3-0 win over Real Salt Lake last weekend.
Looking to keep their win streak alive, Phil Neville hopes that they catch first-seeded Galaxy napping on Sunday’s match. Currently at seventh, only a point separates Portland from fourth place.
Should they continue to sustain their momentum, then it’s entirely possible for them to gatecrash those at the top.
Evander, Felipe Mora, and Jonathan Rodriguez—all tied with 11 goals apiece—will look to cause trouble for LA Galaxy’s defences.
With Joveljić set to miss his third game in a row, either Joseph Paintsil or Riqui Puig will be tasked with being the man upfront. It should cause no concern for their fans, however, as the pair have netted 14 goals between them.
Gabriel Pec—who had two assists in their win over Colorado—is the team’s second-leading scorer with nine goals to his name.
Major League Soccer 2024 odds have the California-based team as the favourites at 1.70, whilst Portland are priced at 3.69.
Both teams have been in good form so far, but it would be safer for your pockets to bet on the top dogs.
Betting tip: 1X2 LA Galaxy @ 1.70
Seattle Sounders vs LAFC
Lumen Field will be packed to the brim as Seattle Sounders look to continue their red-hot form against LAFC this Sunday.
The Sounders—winners of their last six outings and having only suffered two defeats over their last 18 matches—are coming in as slight favourites at 2.46, whilst LAFC are priced at 2.64.
This would be their second meeting of the year, with the latter winning in February on a 2-1 scoreline.
For goals, expect either Jordan Morris or Raul Ruidiaz—nine and eight goals, respectively—to find the back of the net. On LAFC’s end, fans will hope that Denis Bouanga and Mateusz Bogusz—14 and 12 goals to their names—find a breakthrough after being scoreless for a combined five straight games already.
But even with all the prowess for both teams on offence, it could very well end up with fewer goals than expected. Seattle have only conceded 26 goals so far—the fewest in the West—whilst LAFC have allowed 30 goals in their 23 matches played.
I expect this match to be neck-and-neck, with nothing separating the two sides by the time the final whistle is blown.
Betting tip: 1X2 Draw @ 3.16
Colorado Rapids vs Real Salt Lake
Meeting for the third time this season, Colorado and Salt Lake look to break the deadlock between them as the two sides have split their past two meetings.
The Rapids emerged victorious last March with a 2-1 win, whilst fans were treated to a goal fest at the America First Field after Real Salt Lake clawed back from a two goal deficit to win 5-3.
Despite being third—and tied on 44 points with LAFC—Colorado enter this game as the favourites at 2.08, with Salt Lake getting the underdog nod at 3.03.
Both teams have scored the same amount of points in their past six games, and if their recent matchup is any indication, this would be a high-scoring contest.
Salt Lake are second in the league in terms of goals scored (49), with Colorado tied for third with LA Galaxy in the West (47).
Although Colorado are favoured, it wouldn’t be reckless to put money on Salt Lake taking the win.
Betting tip: 1X2 Real Salt Lake @ 3.03
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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