.jpg "Columbus-Crew-vs.-Toronto-FC-(ESPN)")
The Columbus Crew faithful don't want to shut down MAPFRE Stadium quite yet.
Amidst reports that the team is set to be moved to Austin, the Crew are improbable participants in the MLS Eastern Conference Finals. The opening leg against Toronto FC will take place on Tuesday night and will surely be a raucous atmosphere in what could be the last home game ever in Columbus for the club.
This MLS duel will go down Tuesday, November 21, 2017, at 8 p.m. ET at MAPFRE Stadium. The match will be televised live on ESPN.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Columbus Crew +110
Toronto FC +230
Draw +260
Over/Under 2.5
Odds Analysis
The Reds know they don't really have to do anything fancy in this match. They've been dominant at home over the course of the regular season and should feel good about coming back home with a chance to play for the MLS Cup at BMO Field even if they don't get the win here in Columbus.
The Crew are, of course, playing for their season and perhaps their franchise as well. There is something sort of special that feels like it's going on in Columbus with a team that has been overmatched every step of the way in the playoffs but continues to fight for the sake of its rabid fanbase.
Columbus is essentially even-money at +110 to start off this 180-minute tie with the lead. Anything less, and Toronto is almost sure to move on to the MLS Cup in the end, and that's why the hosts need to play with tremendous urgency.
How They Got Here
Columbus truly was fortunate to get out of the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs when it beat Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in a penalty shootout. It was probably the better team tactically that day and had the better chances to win the match. The result was deserved, but the end result was still a crapshoot in the end.
From there, the Crew used their awesome home pitch advantage to blast New York City FC 4-1 at home in the first leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. They cruised from there into the conference title series.
Toronto was rather workmanlike against the Red Bulls in its first playoff series of the season. The Reds were 2-1 winners at Red Bull Arena. That gave them the leeway to get beaten at home 1-0 and still advance to the conference championships.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
If there's a time to pick on TFC, this would seem to be it. Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco have both been suspended for this match thanks to cards from the series against New York, and that leaves a gaping hole in the lineup.
You'd think that these two absentees parlayed with the fact that Zach Steffen is playing out of his head in the Columbus net and the raucous home field advantage at MAPFRE Stadium would be good enough to give the Crew the advantage in this series.
Though that might ultimately be how this plays out, the price on TFC on the Asian Handicap is just too good to pass on. The Reds still have some tremendous scoring options with Tosaint Ricketts and Jonathan Osorio up front, and Michael Bradley is good for a couple chances per game generated either through his own feet or as setups to his men at the front of the pitch.
Not only do we think Toronto is going to get out of Columbus without losing, but we think it's going to do so by snaring a crucial away goal as well. Expect a chippy and nervy game where chances will be few and far between, but in the end, the result will be awesome for Reds fans.
MLS Odds: Columbus 1, Toronto FC 1
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