The Vancouver Whitecaps and the San Jose Earthquakes will both be looking to get off to a positive start when they square off in their MLS is Back tournament opener in Orlando, Florida on Wednesday night. With Vancouver looking to build on their win the last time they took to the itch and San Jose looking to record their first win of 2020, let’s find out where the best value lies in this intriguing matchup, along with their MLS odds.
MLS Odds and Predictions – Vancouver Whitecaps Vs San Jose Earthquakes
Why Bet On Vancouver
The Whitecaps missed their scheduled return opener against FC Dallas was canceled due to Dallas being pulled from the tournament after a positive Coronavirus test. Vancouver did manage to record a 1-0 road win over the Los Angeles Galaxy in their last match back on March 7 after opening league play with a 3-1 home loss against Sporting Kansas City on February 29. Jake Nerwinski and Tosaint Ricketts each have a goal for the Whitecaps while Ali Adria and David Milinkovic each have an assist for the Whitecaps this campaign. Keeper Maxime Crepeau is conceding one goal per 90 minutes with one clean sheet in two league appearances this season.
Why Bet On San Jose
The Earthquakes kicked off their MLS is Back tournament with a scoreless draw against the defending champion Seattle Sounders on Friday. San Jose won the possession battle with 62% possession while recording 16 shots in the match, but just eight on target. San Jose keeper Daniel Vega was in midseason form as he turned back a dozen shots, including six on target. Andres Rios, Oswaldo Alanis, Magnus Eriksson and Valeri Qazaishvili each have a lone goal for San Jose this season while Cristian Espinoza has San Jose’s only assist. Vega is conceding 2.33 goals per 90 minutes with one clean sheet in three league appearances this season.
General Match Info Vancouver Whitecaps (1-0-1) vs. San Jose Earthquakes (0-2-1)
- When: Wednesday, July 15, 2020 at 10:30 PM ET
- Where: Disney Wide World of Sports Complex
- Vancouver Whitecaps Vs San Jose Earthquakes Live: TUDN, TSN
- Money Lines: San Jose -136 / Vancouver +332 / Draw +285
- Total: 2.5
Expert Analysis and Prediction
While Vancouver will almost assuredly be rusty since they haven’t taken to the pitch since March, San Jose didn’t look like they were exactly firing on all cylinders in their MLS return opener last week. Still, the Earthquakes put up a great effort against the defending champs and they have to be encouraged by their play against one of the very best teams in the MLS.
San Jose has won each of the last two meetings in this rivalry by identical 3-1 scores, including the last time they met back on August 24, 2019. Vancouver won each of the previous two meetings with a draw between the two also included among the last five meetings.
For me, the best wager for this intriguing pairing is a simple wager for the Over 2.5 total goals. These two teams have combined to score at least three goals in each of their last five meetings while scoring at least four combined goals in four of those contests. Rusty or not, I say play the Over.
Pick: Over 2.5 Total Goals
