2021 MLS Top Ten Players
November 30, 2021
Hero World Challenge Golf Matchup Odds
November 30, 2021
The first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs largely went as expected with one big exception. The No. 2 seed Seattle Sounders were sent crashing out of the postseason by Real Salt Lake in penalties. Seattle had never been eliminated from the playoffs before the quarterfinals previously, but the team that has won four of the last five Western Conference titles is now out of contention. That has opened up the Western Conference, and the four teams left out West are looking to capitalize on it.
Betting on the 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs
TEAM TO BEAT
The Supporters’ Shield winners are the betting favorites to win the 2021 MLS Cup. The New England Revolution were easily the best team in the league this season. New England won its first Supporters’ Shield, finishing 12 points ahead of every other team, as Bruce Arena was fully able to implement his system for the first time. The legendary head coach might be building a dynasty with the Revolution as we saw him do with DC United and the Los Angeles Galaxy.
New England has the best odds to win the 2021 MLS Cup thanks to Arena and an immensely talented team. Matt Turner was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, and Carles Gil was named MLS Comeback Player of the Year after missing most of the 2020 season due to an Achilles’ tendon injury. Gil led the MLS with 18 assists, helping teammates Adam Buksa and Gustavo Bou each notch 15 goals.
TOP CONTENDERS
The team with the next best MLS Cup betting odds is the Colorado Rapids. Colorado finished the season as the best team in the Western Conference, beating out Seattle for the No. 1 seed by a single point. The Rapids have only made the quarterfinals twice since winning the 2010 MLS Cup, but they have been one of the best stories in the league this season.
Midfielder Jack Price was the team’s leader with 12 assists on the year. Colorado is a young team that isn’t experienced in the playoffs, and the Rapids will potentially have home field advantage for both games in the Western Conference Playoffs. This is a young team that will be facing a very experienced team in the Portland Timbers in their first playoff game though.
Sporting Kansas City has the best draw of any team in the quarterfinals. They get to host the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference in Real Salt Lake. Sporting KC finished three points behind Colorado for the top spot in the conference. Andreu Fontas has been superb after being hurt in 2020, and Daniel Salloi and Johnny Russell have both tallied at least 15 goals this season.
Golden Boot winner Valentin Castellanos was the catalyst for New York City FC this season. Castellanos had 19 goals and eight assists for NYCFC, and he helped the team make it to the playoffs for the sixth straight season. Maxi Moralez continues to be one of the best distributors in the MLS with 11 assists on the year, although his passing numbers have gone down annually since joining the league.
The Philadelphia Union gave us the most exciting victory of the first round of the playoffs. They looked set to go to penalties against the New York Red Bulls before Jakob Glesnes found the back of the net in the 123rd minute to put the Union through. This team has relied on its defense the entire year, and Andre Blake is still one of the top goalkeepers in the MLS. Kacper Przybylko is one of the top strikers left in the postseason, and he has the talent to do it all up top. That makes Philadelphia one of the best bets to win the MLS Cup.
LONGSHOT TO WATCH
The team with the longest odds on the board is the Portland Timbers. Although Portland has a team full of veterans used to playing for high stakes, the Timbers are the only team greater than 10-1 to win the MLS Cup. Diego Valeri is no longer the player he once was in the past, but the Timbers have a bevy of experienced players that can take over a game.
