The road to the MLS Cup is underway with the conference semifinals set to kick off on Thursday November 25th with the Colorado Rapids hosting the Portland Timbers. They wrap up on Tuesday, November 30th with New York City FC visiting the New England Revolution. In between, there are two matches on Sunday, November 28th as Sporting Kansas City host Real Salt Lake and Nashville SC visit the Philadelphia Union.
Colorado Rapids vs Portland Timbers
The Colorado Rapids finished the season as Western Conference champions as they edged the Seattle Sounders by a single point. The Rapids won 17 games, lost 7 and tied 10 for 61 points while racking up 51 goals and conceding 35. This earned Colorado a bye in the first playoff round and they’ll take on the Portland Timbers in the Western semifinals. They finished the season in mediocre form with 5 victories, 3 defeats and 2 draws in their last 10 outings but lost only 3 of their last 20. The Rapids lost just 1 home game this year while posting 9 wins and 7 draws and outscored their visitors 31-14. On the injury front, Colorado’s Keegan Rosenberry is listed as questionable.
The Portland Timbers reached the semifinals with a come-from-behind 3-1 home triumph over Minnesota Utd in the first round with a pair of second-half goals from Sebastian Blanco. They finished fourth in the West this season with 17 victories, 13 defeats and 4 draws with 56 goals for and 52 against. They lost just 3 of their final 14 regular-season encounters with 10 victories and a draw. Away from home, Portland won 6 games, lost 9 and drew 2 with 21 goals for and 30 against. As far as injuries go, the Timbers’ Jeff Attinella, Andy Polo and Eryk Williamson are out for the season while Ismaila Jome, Blake Bodily and Hunter Suite are all questionable.
The teams drew 2-2 in Portland in September with Colorado winning at home 2-0 in October. The Rapids are undefeated in the last five games between the teams 3 draws and 2 wins.
Sporting Kansas City vs Real Salt Lake
Sporting Kansas City enters the Western semifinals after downing the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 at home in their playoff opener with two goals in the final 46 minutes. They finished the season in third place in the conference even though they lost their final 3 matches. Sporting Kansas took 58 points this year with 17 wins, 10 losses and 7 draws while outscoring the opposition 58-40. At home, they had 9 wins, 3 losses and 5 draws with 32 goals scored and 17 conceded. They enter this match without the suspended Felipe Hernandez and the injured Jaylin Lindsey.
Real Salt Lake reached the semifinals after upsetting the Seattle Sounders in a penalty shootout in their first playoff contest. The game ended 0-0 after 90 and 120 minutes with the visitors winning the shootout 6-5 after being outshot 21-0 during the game. Real Salt Lake finished seventh in the West this year to grab the final playoff spot in the conference. They had 48 points from 14 wins, 14 losses and 6 draws with 55 goals scored and 54 allowed. They posted 5 wins, 10 losses and 2 draws on the road and were outscored 33-25. They expect to be without the injured Zack Farnsworth for this game.
Real Salt Lake won both regular-season meetings this year, 1-0 on the road and 3-1 at home. They also have 6 wins, 2 draws and just 1 loss in the last 9 clashes with Sporting Kansas. The teams have met three times in the postseason with Sporting boasting a home victory, a home win in a penalty shootout and a draw on the road.
Philadelphia Union vs Nashville SC
The Philadelphia Union got past the New York Red Bulls 1-0 at home in the opening round of the playoffs thanks to a last-second goal in extra time from Jakob Glesnes. The Union finished in second place in the Eastern Conference this year with 54 points from 14 wins, 8 losses and 12 draws with 48 goals for and 35 against. They were beaten just once in their last 11 regular-season matches with 6 victories and 4 draws. Philadelphia posted 11 wins, 3 losses and 3 draws at home while outscoring their visitors 25-10. They’re expecting a healthy team for this semifinal showdown.
Nashville SC won their opening playoff game 3-1 at home against Orlando City with Hany Mukhtar scoring twice. They finished the regular-season by drawing 7 of their final 9 outings with a win and loss and led the league in draws this year with 18. They finished third in the East with 54 points as they also had 12 wins and just 4 losses with 55 goals scored and 33 allowed. Away from home they posted 4 wins, 4 losses and 9 draws while outscoring their opponents 20-15. Nashville SC list Dave Romney as questionable for this match and Daniel Rios as injured.
The teams have met each other only twice before with each posting a 1-0 victory at home during the regular season this year.
New England Revolution vs New York City FC
The New England Revolution topped the Eastern Conference and league this season and set a new MLS regular-season points record along the way with 73. They had 22 wins, 5 losses and 7 draws and led the league in goals with 65 while allowing 41. They also posted the most points at home with 39 from their 12 wins, 2 defeats and 3 draws and outscored the opposition 31-18. They earned a bye in the first playoff round and finished the regular season in fine form with just 2 losses in their last 21 outings with 15 victories and 4 draws. They enter this game with a relatively healthy team but Adam Buksa is listed as questionable.
New York City FC scored twice in the second half to shut out Atlanta Utd 2-0 at home in the first round of the postseason. They’ve now reached the conference semifinals five times in the past six campaigns. They finished fourth in the division this year with 56 points from 14 victories, 11 losses and 9 draws while outscoring their opponents 56-36. They finished the regular season with 3 wins, a single loss and 3 draws in their final 7 games and posted a road record of 4 wins, 8 losses and 5 draws while being outscored 23-19. New York is listing Nicolas Acevedo, Anton Tinnerholm and keaton Parks as injured.
New England edged New York 3-2 on the road in June and beat them at home 2-1 in September. New York won at home 2-0 in August. The Revolution has 5 victories, 3 defeats and 2 two draws in the past 10 league meetings.
The bet365 oddsmakers currently list New England as the favorites to lift the MLS Cup on December 11th at +333. They’re followed by Colorado at +400, Sporting Kansas at +500, New York City and Philadelphia at +600, Nashville at +700, Real Salt Lake at +1000 and Portland at +1200.
You can also wager on the individual playoff games with popular bets such as both teams to score, total goals, full-time result, and the number of corners etc.