Chicago Fire vs. Vancouver Whitecaps - July 23, 9:00AM EDT
Crunch time for the Fire (+3600), who have the chance to finish up in Group B in either second, third or fourth depending on the result of this game. All of their good work in their win against the Sounders (+1100) could be undone after slumping to a disappointing 2-0 loss to San Jose Earthquakes (+3000) last time out. With a goal difference of -1 currently against Seattle's +2, the Fire need a win here to guarantee automatic qualification to the next round.
The Whitecaps (+6500) were certainly outsiders in our MLS predictions before the soccer kicked off again, but they have to be seriously disappointed in what they've put up so far. Two losses from their two games means they can only finish third with a win here, but, with seven goals conceded so far, it's clear there are some big issues in the team Marc de Santos needs to find a solution to.
Our prediction Chicago Fire to take the win here and leapfrog past the Sounders into 2nd place
LA Galaxy vs. Houston Dynamo - July 23, 8PM EDT
Things are looking pretty grim for LA Galaxy (+2800) right now. Much was said about the absence of star signing Javier Hernandez prior to the recent El Trafico derby, but 18 shots and a whoping 6 goals conceded tells you exactly where Galaxy's problems really lie. The six conceded against LAFC (without Carlos Vela we should add!) took Galaxy's GA to 8 for the tournament all in and means they'll need a big win here to leapfrog Houston and finish strongly in the 3rd place table.
On Houston (+15000), Tab Ramos' Orange side have honestly been one of the surprise packages of the tournament so far. Rank outsiders in our MLS odds and nestled in undoubtedly the tournament's group of death, they battled to a thrilling 3-3 draw with LAFC before just being edged out by a impressive-looking Portland side. They do need a win against Galaxy to ensure passage into the next round, but should be quietly optimistic about the chances their skilled attack will have against arguably the worst defence in the competition right now.
Our prediction Two really closely matched sides here. We expect them to cancel eachother out for a tie.
LAFC vs. Portland Timbers - July 23, 10:30PM EDT
Barring a huge swing in GD, both these sides should be through to the next round and are essentially battling it out for top spot in Group F and a more favourable draw.
LAFC (+450) looked pretty off colour in their opening game against Houston, but a 6-2 thumping of your nearest rivals is a pretty good way of putting yourself back on the map. Diego Rossi hit four and Bradley Wright-Phillips supplied two and scored one, showing that Bob Bradley's side are still more than a threat in front of goal without Carlos Vela in the side.
The Timbers (+2300) have undoubtedly been one of the most steady and impressive sides in the tournament so far. Perfectly balanced in attack and defence, they're one of only two sides still with a 100% win record heading into their game against the Black and Gold, and already look a good bet for a long run in the competition.
Our prediction Portland will do well to keep out LA's attack here, but we see no reason why they can't do it. Tied result.
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