One of the highlights when the draw was made for the group stage of the MLS is Back Tournament was both Los Angeles teams going into Group F to give us an El Trafico Derby in Orlando. Before reigning MVP Carlos Vela opted out of the tournament, LAFC was the odds-on favorite to win the whole thing. Their journey got off to a rough start as they had to rally to tie Houston 3-3 on Monday while LA Galaxy lost to Portland 2-1. Let’s get right into action and find out who has the best betting value against their MLS odds.
LAFC vs LA Galaxy Betting Preview
LAFC joined MLS in 2018 and there have been six El Trafico matchups between the two teams with Galaxy winning two, LAFC winning one and three draws. The matchups have had some memorable moments including Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s brace to lead Galaxy from 3-0 down to a 4-3 win in 2018, or Vela and Adama Diomande scoring two each in LAFC’s 5-3 playoff win last season.
LAFC Outlook: Bottle The Second Half
LAFC had a tale of two halves on Sunday against Houston Dynamo after falling behind 3-1 and earning a 3-3 draw. Bradley Wright-Philips tied the game 1-1 in the 19th minute and Diego Rossi scored in the 63rd minute. Brian Rodriguez tied the game 3-3 in the 69th minute to earn LAFC a point in their group opener.
Vela scored 34 goals last year and added two more earlier this season but LAFC is without their captain for this tournament. The Black and Gold won at home against Inter Miami on March 1 as Vela scored in the 44th minute. A week later Eddie Segura scored in the 71st minute to secure a 3-3 home draw against Philadelphia.
LA Galaxy Outlook: Finish
Monday’s contest was a frustrating loss for LA Galaxy as the missed a penalty kick and had two goals waved off for offsides in a 2-1 loss to Portland. Chicharito had his penalty saved in the 12th minute and finally scored his first Galaxy goal in the 88th minute to get LA on the board. However Portland had goals in the 59th and 66th minute to take control of the game and grab all three points.
Fresh off a playoff appearance, and loss to LAFC, last season, the Galaxy got off to a slow start in 2020 after adding Chicharito to the attack. They drew with Houston 1-1 on February 29 on the road and lost to Vancouver 1-0 at home March 7. Despite the firepower on the squad, Galaxy have just two goals this season in 270 minutes of action.
LAFC Vs LA Galaxy My Bookie Betting Lines
While LA Galaxy has the most MLS Cup titles in league history, it is LAFC that is undoubtedly closer to winning a title right now, even without their MVP. They will enjoy nothing more than beating their crosstown rivals in Florida’s version of El Trafico to bury Galaxy in the bottom of the Group F table.
- Money Lines: LAFC -140 to win / LA Galaxy +311 to win / Draw +297
- Total: Over/Under 3 goals (O -128, U -103)
MY BOOKIE FREE PICK: LAFC to win (-140)
