MLS Matchday 15 Betting Picks

Neil FitzGerald here from The Game Day to look at the upcoming matches for Matchday 15 in Major League Soccer. 

With the US Open and Canadian Championship moving into their latter rounds, it should be interesting to see how the surviving teams handle the extra games via roster construction, substitution strategy, and health management - in both league and cup games.

It could undoubtedly impact the best betting lines and is worth monitoring.

The MLS odds I use for my betting picks are current as of 12 p.m. ET on May 24 at the indicated sportsbook.

Montreal vs Miami Preview

Montréal’s string of four 2-0 victories ended last week with two losses. They lost a “competitive” 3-0 game versus top-of-the-table Cincinnati and were significantly out-chanced against the Red Bulls in a 2-1 defeat. Back home this week, look for Montreal to bounce back against their conference rival.

Miami’s three-game winning streak ended abruptly last week with two successive losses. Miami followed up a midweek 2-1 loss to Nashville with a 3-1 defeat versus Orlando and will now look to change their luck by visiting a Montreal team that has only lost once at home all season. Unfortunately, this game is too tricky to call.

New England vs Chicago Preview

While the Revolution lost to Miami (2-1) and Philadelphia (3-0) in their last two league games, it was only their second and third losses all year.

It is difficult to bet on the Revs coming off two disappointing results, but they are undefeated at home, and Chicago has only one road victory to date.

Chicago is coming off a 3-3 tie with Atlanta last week, managing to stay unbeaten at home but are going on the road for this match where they have only scored five goals all season.

• NEW ENGLAND vs CHICAGO PICK: New England ML (-110) • PointsBet Sportsbook: New England’s home record and Chicago’s road record suggest this is a solid bet.

New York City vs Philadelphia Preview

Sitting just outside of the playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, NYCFC will look to pad their unbeaten home record versus Philadelphia this week.

New York could not have come home soon enough as they didn’t win any games on their recent four-game road trip.

The Union have only lost once in their last eight league games, and although they played several weaker teams in this run, they scored an impressive 3-0 win over New England last week. 

• NYCFC vs PHILADELPHIA PICK: Union win (+240) • PointsBet Sportsbook: Philadelphia for a road result against a struggling NYCFC squad provides an interesting wager with decent returns. 

Orlando vs Atlanta Preview

Orlando earned a 3-1 win on the weekend versus cross-state rival Miami in the Turnpike Derby. They will attempt to maintain that offensive spark this week versus a renewed Atlanta squad that has scored seven in their last two matches. 

After three losses, Atlanta bounced back with a dominant 4-0 win against Colorado and a 3-3 tie on the road versus Chicago.

While they still sit fourth in the conference, they’ve only won three times in their last ten games, so let’s not expect a complete change in form just yet.

Toronto vs D.C. Preview

Bob Bradley’s Reds continue to suffer unprecedented injuries across their line-up and have yet to find the scoresheet in their last four league games. Playing at home, where they’ve only lost once, will help, but it’s difficult to see a turning point in the near future.

D.C. United has only lost one league match in their last seven against a strong Cincinnati team. Look for them to take control of this match on the road against a Toronto team reeling from injury and a squad full of young replacements.

• Toronto vs DC United PICK: DC United win (+230) • FanDuel Sportsbook: DC’s strong form and Toronto’s injury woes and hints of recent locker room dissent suggest DC is a good bet this week.

Houston vs Austin Preview

Houston will be looking to keep changing their momentum after their 1-1 result on the road against Dallas in last week’s Texas Derby. They hadn’t won in the three league matches before that but have had an impressive defense all year, having only conceded 11 goals.

Sadly, their offensive output mirrors their defensive numbers, so Houston is a tough team to get behind for wins.

Gyasi Zardes scored an injury time winner last week against Toronto and has now scored two games in a row leading Austin to a surprising two-game winning streak.

Before that, they had not won since Week 3 of the season, and they were playing a Toronto team missing over half of their regular starters, so it’s too early to invest in a turnaround.

• HOUSTON VS AUSTIN PICK: Under 1.5 Total Goals (+280) • FanDuel Sportsbook: Two teams with anemic offensive output to date and solid defensive play leads to few scoring chances and fewer goals.

Minnesota vs Salt Lake Preview

Despite their two-game winning streak over Portland and Houston, it’s risky to bet too aggressively on a team that has only scored two goals in a game two times all season. It may be more interesting to bet on a low-scoring affair in Minnesota.

Salt Lake appeared to rediscover their scoring touch on the road versus Colorado last week in their 3-2 victory.

They’ve only lost one league game in their previous six, so it might be an interesting time to begin looking for them to surprise some mid-table teams like Minnesota, but likely too early to jump on the away odds.

St Louis vs Vancouver Preview

Despite not winning a game in their last five league matches before last week, St Louis found the net four times at home last week, hosting Kansas City. They will go through these up-and-down growing pains as an expansion squad, so it’s a difficult team to bet on.

After two disappointing losses, the Whitecaps bounced back with a solid 2-0 victory over their rivals from Seattle.

They will look to continue that form this week on the road in St Louis, but they’ve yet to win on the road this year, so another match to avoid this week.

Colorado vs Cincinnati Preview

Colorado has only lost three matches in their last ten league matches, but unfortunately, those three games were the last three games, so momentum is not in the Rapids' favor.

They may have deserved a better result than the 3-2 loss to Salt Lake last week with almost two thirds of ball possession, and they are at home this week, but it’s too tough to bet against Cincinnati right now.

Cincinnati has moved five points clear in the Supporter’s Shield race and is established as one of the strongest teams in the league.

However, Cincinnati has won only once on the road, so expect a difficult match against a Rapids team looking to regain their form at home and move up the Western Conference.

LA vs Charlotte Preview

The Galaxy lost two matches last week and were shut out in both games (2-0 to Columbus and 3-0 to DC United).

That said, the games were closer than the results show, and they did surprise with a mid-week US Open win over cross-town rival LAFC, so expect a battle and a reinvigorated Greg Vanney squad at home in Los Angeles.

Charlotte is coming off a mixed week of results with a 2-1 midweek victory over Chicago and a 2-1 loss to a tough Nashville squad on Saturday.

However, they have four wins in their last six league matches and will want to keep that momentum going as they play a Galaxy squad struggling to find consistent form.

San Jose vs FC Dallas Preview

The Earthquakes are coming off two tough losses against both teams from LA, with their last loss coming off an injury time penalty kick to LAFC’s Carlos Vela. Playing at home should help the Earthquakes shake off the LA losses, but it will be a difficult opponent to break down. 

Visiting Dallas has only lost once in the last nine league matches and twice since the first week of the year. In addition, their defense is stingy, giving up only two shots on net last week against Houston and conceding only 13 goals all season.

• SAN JOSE VS DALLAS PICK: Over 2.5 Total Goals (-110) • PointsBet Sportsbook: With two tight defensive squads and middling offenses, it looks like a good bet to expect a low-scoring affair in San Jose.

Seattle vs New York Preview

The Sounders have won only twice in their last seven games and were bumped from their perch atop the Western Conference last week [by LAFC]. Seattle lost a 2-0 rivalry match in Vancouver and will look to get back on track versus a New York team that has yet to win on the road this season.

The Red Bulls were unbeaten in four games across all competitions before a US Open loss to Cincinnati in Penalty kicks midweek. This streak included an impressive 2-1 win at home over Montreal last week, where they sent 16 shots toward the Montreal net.

Look for them to keep the strong play going in Seattle, but it's difficult to invest too much in their first road win.

• SEATTLE VS NEW YORK PICK: Red Bulls win  (+280) • PointsBet Sportsbook: If you’re looking for an interesting upset, the Red Bulls have been in good form recently and are a team with some momentum.

Kansas City vs Portland Preview

Despite last week’s 4-0 loss in St Louis, Sporting Kansas City was on a mini three-game unbeaten streak before that game, and they out-chanced and out-possessed St Louis in their match. So look for them to bounce back from last week’s unfortunate scoreline at home against Portland.

The Timbers are coming off a heart-breaking 1-0 loss to Minnesota on the weekend, falling to an injury time goal by Minnesota’s Bongokuhle Hlongwane. Before that loss, Portland were unbeaten in four games, so they are looking to get back on track. However, betting on this game with the two teams set of variable results is probably too risky.

Nashville vs Columbus Preview

With Nashville having only lost one match in their last nine league games, they are looking to continue their strong run at home this week. Look for them to continue their league-leading defensive play while working to secure the win by scoring enough to get a result against the Columbus defense.

Coming off a 2-0 win over a resurgent LA Galaxy midweek, Columbus almost grabbed an away point against a league-best Cincinnati squad on the weekend. They should be happy with their performance, but it will be tough this week against a league-best Nashville defense.