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It's been a horrible start to the season for the Philadelphia Union. They've yet to win a match in five tries, and though that hasn't necessarily consigned them to life without playoff soccer in the fall, the battle is inherently becoming tougher and tougher every single fixture. Already five points back of the postseason, the match at home against New York City FC feels like a really important one in which the proverbial duck must be broken.
This MLS duel will go down Friday, April 14, 2017, at 7 p.m. ET at Talen Energy Stadium. The match will be televised live on ESPN.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Philadelphia Union +105
New York City FC +260
Draw +240
Over/Under 3
Odds Analysis
In spite of their woes, the Union are still the comfortable favorites in this match at +105 and are basically 50/50 propositions to either strike for all three points or to come up with a substandard result. It's not a bad thought. Even in last season's fantastic year, NYCFC only picked up 10 positive results in 17 away matches, three of which ended up being draws, while the Union won eight of their 17 home fixtures to eke into the back of the playoffs.
The total of a flat 3 tells a tale of what has consistently been one of the more offensive-minded teams in the MLS. Last year, NYCFC scored 62 goals, more than anyone else in the MLS, while conceding 57, more than anyone who made the playoffs. The team that was second in goals allowed in the postseason? Of course, Philadelphia.
Key Injuries
Patrick Vieira's club isn't crippled with injuries at this point. Jonathan Lewis has a hip flexor strain, while Mikey Lopez is battling a return from ankle surgery. That's it on the injury front though, and if that's the way this stays all year long, City will be in a good shape.
With John McCarthy yet to play this season thanks to a concussion, the net for the Union belongs to Andre Blake. Blake can play, but he's allowed nine goals on 19 shots. He was much better than this last season, stopping 66 percent of the shots he faced, and that kept McCarthy on the bench the whole season. Maurice Edu and Joshua Yaro both remain out as they recover from long-term surgeries.
Recent Form
It's not been pretty for the Union for sure. They were blown out 3-1 by Portland at home last Saturday, and that came on the heels of matching 2-1 losses on the road to D.C. United and Orlando City. That's now four straight fixtures with at least two goals allowed after a scoreless draw against Vancouver to start the season, and this is coming a huge problem. The team can't stop falling behind in matches, and it's just so hard to play catch up in this sport when you're constantly chasing games.
NYCFC remains one of the favorites in the East even though its start to the season hasn't been ideal. A 2-1 loss at D.C. United last weekend wasn't the end of the world, but the argument could be made that better results were deserved after dominating possession and, for the most part, generating the better opportunities in the match.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
This City team is still going to be one of the best in the MLS this season. That 0-0-2 start on the road doesn't have us all that concerned. Vieira just seems to get the most out of this roster when he's playing away from the Bronx, and that's a good sign going forward, especially against a team that flat out doesn't look all that interested in playing defense at the moment thanks to some sloppy play in the box.
There's no doubt that NYCFC is going to have the lion's share of the possession in this one, and if that's how this turns out, we have a tough time imagining anything shy of a goal fest for the visitors.
MLS Odds: New York City FC 3, Philadelphia 1
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