Atlanta United v Houston Dynamo – MLS Betting Preview and Prediction
Today we are checking out a match between Atlanta United and Houston Dynamo, which is set to take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on July 18th.
Atlanta searching for their rhythm
It’s not been too good of a season for Atlanta, nor it has been a good month for them. The former MLS champions have fallen on hard times in recent matches, failing to establish themselves as a powerhouse they once were. However, not everything is lost. As it stands now, Atlanta are 4th in the East with a 9-3-8 record and 30 points. While not a disastrous record, the Five Stripes have not been too convincing in the last 3 league matches, where they won only 1 point. They suffered a humiliating defeat against Chicago Fire (5:1), followed by a draw against New York Red Bulls (3:3) and to top it all off, Atlanta lost against Seattle Sounders last weekend (2:1). On the bright side, Atlanta are barely 6 points behind conference leaders Philadelphia with two games in hand.
Houston Dynamo slowly drifting into abyss
Houston Dynamo are not enjoying a very successful run recently either. However, while Atlanta’s record is underwhelming, it’s Houston Dynamo’s record which is plain disastrous. In their last 5 league matches, Dynamo won once and lost all the remaining 4 matches. San Jose (2:0), New England (2:1), Cincinnati (3:2) and LAFC (1:3) all proved to be too strong of an opponent for Dynamo, whereas it was surprisingly New York Red Bulls (4:0) who were no match for the Orange. By taking only 3 points in the last 5 league matches, Dynamo fell out of top 8 and are now slowly drifting into the bottom part of the table, where they could remain if they do not find a way to improve and regain their playoffs spot.
Verdict & Prediction
Atlanta United are entering the upcoming fixture as the favourites and rightfully so. While they have not impressed recently, the Five Stripes have a solid team who could potentially catch up to Philadelphia Union and take back the no.1 spot in East from them. That is if Atlanta manage to win both of their upcoming fixtures. First up they will face off against Houston Dynamo, who look like a perfect target for Atlanta who will look to build some momentum ahead of their clash against DC United on July 21st.
The visiting side, Houston Dynamo are currently the worst travelling team in the west and 2nd worst in the league. Holding a 1-0-7 record on the road does not give them much hope they can take down Atlanta who are 6-3-1 at home this season. However, the away record is not the only issue for Houston who are in disastrous shape at home as well as in away matches. Loosing 5 out of their last 6 league matches clearly shows something is not clicking in the team, which by the looks of it won’t be fixed anytime soon. All in all, we expect Atlanta to use full advantage of Dynamo’s poor form and walk away with all 3 points.
Prediction: Atlanta -1.00 Asian Handicap
Odds: 2.08 Asianodds
