Major League Soccer offers a Wednesday night tripleheader; betting selections for two of those games are listed below.
Seattle Sounders vs. Philadelphia Union
The Sounders (13-5-9) are in the midst of a historic nine-game winning streak. This is the longest such run of success in MLS since Sporting Kansas City won nine straight in 2012.
Oddsmakers see no signs of Seattle slowing down as they play host to the Philadelphia Union (12-4-12) on Wednesday night (11 p.m. ET), as they were installed as -140 betting favorites on the three-way line. The Union are available at +333, and the draw is listed at +300.
Raul Ruidiaz netted another two goals in Saturday’s Cascade Cup win over Vancouver; the Sounders have yet to lose when Ruidaz suits up, and it’s not coincidental.
“He’s a winner,” Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei said of Ruidiaz when speaking with reporters on Saturday. “We brought him to the team because he’s been successful and he’s lethal [up the field].”
The Sounders have tallied 21 goals since this win streak started, with Ruidiaz and Nicolas Lodeiro scoring five each, and have conceded just five.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Union rode a 4-0-1 August record into playoff contention, but a recent draw with Orlando and an inexplicable 4-1 loss at home to Montreal has them suddenly looking vulnerable again. Therefore, expect Seattle to prevail at home.
Prediction: Sounders win 2-1
The play: Sounders -140
San Jose Earthquakes vs. Atlanta United
It doesn’t get more lopsided than this, as the top-of-the-table United (17-6-5) take on the Earthquakes (4-8-16), who are dead last in the MLS standings. San Jose has home field at Avaya Stadium for Wednesday night’s tilt (11 p.m.), but Atlanta has been lethal in road games all year. In fact, the United tied the MLS record for road wins in a season (nine) in a 3-0 dismantling of the Colorado Rapids last Saturday.
Atlanta can be had at -140 on the three-way lines, while San Jose is +275, and the draw is +333. It’s normally unthinkable to take a road team at this short a price, but the United are playing on a level way beyond the Earthquakes’ capabilities.
Expect goals aplenty as San Jose has scored at least once in seven straight and have surrendered an average of two goals in their last 10 games. Josef Martinez (28 goals) has been kept off the scoreboard for Atlanta in his last two, but he must be licking his chops as he draws this matchup. The United aren’t the stingiest team in the MLS, as they’ve allowed at least one goal in eight of their last 10.
Prediction: United wins 3-1
The play: United -140, Over 3.5 goals, one unit each.
