MLS Decision Day Preview

The MLS regular season will come to an end this Sunday. After more than seven months of action, there is still much to be determined this weekend. While the seven playoff teams in the Eastern Conference have been decided and much of the seeding has sorted itself out, we don’t know yet which teams will be squaring off.

In the Western Conference, it’s a much different story. Four teams are battling for the final two playoff spots, and playoff dreams will be fulfilled or crushed. Sunday is going to be an exciting day.

MLS Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu

Portland Timbers -104
San Jose Earthquakes +217
Draw +279
Over/Under 3 and 3.5

Portland controls its own destiny in terms of the playoffs. The Timbers have 46 points, and they are currently in sixth place in the Western Conference. They are up a point on FC Dallas and two points up on San Jose, so any sort of result will get the Timbers back to the MLS Cup Playoffs.

The Timbers have not been sharp in recent weeks though. They haven’t notched a win since beating Sporting Kansas City 2-1 on September 7, and they missed golden opportunities to secure a spot with lackluster outings against Minnesota United FC, the New England Revolution, and Sporting KC the last two weeks.

San Jose is in a win and you’re in situation. The Earthquakes can take charge of their circumstances by beating the Timbers this Saturday. However, a loss puts them outside the playoffs, and a draw opens up a host of complicated tiebreaking scenarios.

The Earthquakes haven’t won a match since August, and they have not defeated a playoff team since July 12. They have lost eight of their last ten games to play themselves out of the postseason, but to be fair the schedule has been difficult. San Jose beat Portland 3-0 when these teams met earlier this year, yet that was all the way back in early April. The Timbers are odds-on favorites at home, and they have the experience to advance.

Los Angeles FC -357
Colorado Rapids +675
Draw +452
Over/Under 3.5

Colorado has only made it to the playoffs twice in the last seven seasons, and the odds are against the Rapids to make it back to the postseason. They are behind the other three teams chasing a playoff spot, and they need a win and some help to get in the postseason. Colorado must beat Los Angeles FC and watch FC Dallas and San Jose lose to earn a playoff spot, and that’s a parlay with long odds.

It’s going to be especially difficult considering the Rapids’ opponent. Colorado is taking on one of the greatest teams in MLS history in Los Angeles FC. LAFC have already locked up the Supporters’ Shield and home field advantage throughout the playoffs, but they have more to play for on Sunday. They could go down as the best single-season team in the history of the league, and Carlos Vela is one goal away from tying Josef Martinez’s single season scoring record. That will lead to LAFC playing their starters instead of resting everyone.

FC Dallas -181
Sporting Kansas City +381
Draw +321
Over/Under 3 and 3.5

Dallas controls its own destiny too, and this team is one of the biggest favorites of the day per the MLS betting odds. A win puts Dallas back into the playoffs, and a draw could get them in if other results went their way.

Like the other teams in the Western Conference, Dallas stumbled down the stretch. They could have locked up a spot in the postseason in September, but they scored just one goal in their last four matches. Their tilt with Sporting KC is not the foregone conclusion the oddsmakers think it is so tread carefully.

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