Minnesota United v Vancouver Whitecaps – MLS Betting Preview and Prediction
Minnesota United and Vancouver Whitecaps will clash for the second time this season on Sunday, July 28th at Allianz Field in what promises to be an exciting match between two teams who enjoy a complete contrast of forms. Below you can check out our betting preview and prediction for the upcoming match between Minnesota and Whitecaps.
A season to remember for the Loons
Minnesota United will enter the Sunday’s fixture hoping they can continue with what can only be described as one of the best seasons in the Loons’ history. Currently sitting at 4th place in the West, United are holding onto a 10-4-7 record and an incredible 4-1-0 in the last 5 fixtures. Looking back at their performances, United took down FC Cincinnati 7:1, the in-form San Jose Earthquakes 3:1, Montreal Impact 2:3 and FC Dallas 1:0. Unfortunately, it was Real Salt Lake who managed to stop Minnesota’s run with a 1:1 draw last week at Rio Tinto Stadium. Despite the fact that the draw ended the Loons’ perfect streak of 4 wins, they can be proud of walking away from Rio Tinto Stadium with a point, as it is widely considered as one of the hardest stadiums to win on as a visiting team.
Their draw does not set them back one bit, as Minnesota are still looking like a serious playoffs contender and possibly even a team that can reach the top 3 by the end of the season. While we cannot get too ahead of ourselves with speculations where the Loons might or might not end up, we also can’t ignore the impressive performances the team has put up. Should they manage to continue playing at the same level, it’s anyone’s guess where they might en up and while it’s barely a guess, a deep playoffs run is not out of the question for the in-form Minnesota.
Struggling Whitecaps
Unlike Minnesota who enjoys one of the best (if not the best) seasons up to date, Vancouver Whitecaps struggle mightily to keep up with the pace of MLS. Currently sitting at the bottom of the Western conference, Whitecaps are in a terrible spot as they have not won a single MLS match in the last 8 games. Furthermore, Vancouver have not won a single match in last 10, including two losses in the Canadian Championship run. A lot has gone wrong for the 4-8-11 Whitecaps this season and even more so as of late. Now they have found themselves with 5 straight losses to their name and could potentially see themselves entering the next week with 6. During those 5 matches, the Caps have lost to Seattle (1:0), LAFC (6:1), Kansas City (0:3), New England (4:0) and to top it all off the San Jose Earthquakes last weekend (1:3). It seems like no matter where or against whom Whitecaps play, they get outplayed in all aspects of the game. Their defence is nowhere to be found (17 goals conceded in the last 5 fixtures), the attack is terrible (3 goals scored in last 5) and quite frankly, their chances to salvage anything this season non-existent.
There can be only one winner at Allianz Field
A quick look at the form of two teams pains a clear picture of how this match will go. Not only are Minnesota playing far better football as of late, but they will also get the privilege to play at Allianz Field, where just recently they humiliated San Jose Earthquakes (3:1) and annihilated FC Cincinnati (7:1). The Caps on the other side lost their last 3 away fixtures during which they conceded 11 goals and scored once. It’s no use to beat around the bush so let’s get right to the point.
Minnesota United’s form as of now is vastly superior to anything Vancouver Whitecaps have shown this season. While it’s true the last h2h fixture between Loons and Caps ended in a close 2:3 win for Minnesota, we simply can’t expect the Sunday’s fixture to be even remotely as close, however, we can confidently predict it will end with the same winner.
The Loons should have no problems defeating the Caps who have made it clear they are just as bad in attack as they are in the defence. A comfortable 2 goal win for the home side is highly likely here which is why we will back Minnesota to continue their strong form and add another W to their name.
Prediction: Minnesota United -1.50 Asian Handicap
Odds: 1.94 Pinnacle
