It feels as though we just got finished watching Atlanta United hoist the MLS Cup after beating the Portland Timbers 2-0, but here we are already just days away from the start of the 2019 season. The action will get underway this coming Saturday, March 2, with the defending champions set to get their season started on Sunday.
The Champions are in as the favorites to repeat, despite losing Miguel Almiron to the EPL and also making a coaching change, with Frank DeBoer taking over from the now departed Tata Martino. Let’s take a closer look at the Eastern and Western Conference while making some predictions along the way based on the odds for Week 1 action.
2019 MLS Season Betting Preview & Predictions
After an incredible turnaround in 2018, can @dcunited keep the momentum going this season? 🔥 #MLSisBack https://t.co/NcG3MlVw8M
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) 25 de febrero de 2019
Eastern Conference
Atlanta United are deserving favorites here, although the loss of Almiron and Martinez is going to be tough. The champions did not look good defensively in their 3-1 loss to SC Herediano in CCL play last week, with the second leg of that one coming later this week. Teams that make a run in that tournament often struggle in MLS play, as the games, as well as the injuries, start to add up. That said, this is still a team loaded with talent, so they need to be considered the favorites to win the East.
The teams most likely to mount a serious challenge for the Eastern Conference crown are both the New York teams. The Red Bulls actually pipped Atlanta for the #1 seed in the East last season, but they put in a sub-par performance when they faced the eventual champions in the playoffs.
Still, they need to be considered a legitimate threat again this season. New York City is going to be one to watch, as you wonder how they will replace the goals scored by David Villa now that he has moved on. The team to watch here may well be DC United, as they came on strong late last year after landing Wayne Rooney.
I see Atlanta and DC squaring off in the Eastern Conference Final.
Teams
- New York Red Bulls
- Atlanta United FC
- New York City FC
- D.C. United
- Columbus Crew SC
- Philadelphia Union
- Montreal Impact
- New England Revolution
- Toronto FC
- Chicago Fire
- Orlando City SC
Western Conference
It was the Portland Timbers who represented the West in the final last season, but they are going to have a tough start to the season, with their first 12 games coming on the road due to stadium renovations. They also failed to land a much-needed striker in the offseason, so look for the goals to be spread around again.
The LA Galaxy and LAFC are considered the teams to beat in the West this season, although I think that the Galaxy is once again overvalued due to their big-name players. LAFC is set to take a step forward, I believe.
The Seattle Sounders are a team that you can never count out in this conference, but they need to be more consistent throughout the season instead of making that late-season runs to the playoffs that have become their trademark.
Sporting Kansas City is another team to watch in the West, as they made it all the way to the Western Conference Final last season before falling to the Timbers. If Portland can land a big-name striker, it may well be a repeat of last season’s conference final.
Teams
- Sporting Kansas City
- Seattle Sounders FC
- Los Angeles Football Club
- FC Dallas
- Portland Timbers
- Real Salt Lake
- LA Galaxy
- Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- Houston Dynamo
- Minnesota United FC
- Colorado Rapids
- San Jose Earthquakes
