MLS: DC United vs. Orlando City Preview, Odds, Prediction

DC United is desperate for a win, and they are going to give everything they have to beat Orlando City in the closing matchup of this MLS round. The two sides aren’t playing good football lately, and the only difference between them is the fact that Orlando had success in the US Open Cup, reaching the finals, and that they still sit in the playoff zone. The Lions played well until recently, creating a solid point reserve. As for United, they are sitting dead last in the standings, but have the fewest number of games played of all the teams in the league, which gives them some hope of turning the tables.

Preview

DC United (+145) have 20 games and 18 points, but with two wins from those delayed events, they could jump high in the standings, and keep their chances for the playoffs. Of course, we are speaking theoretically here, and we believe that the playoffs aren’t a goal for Wayne Rooney, but avoiding the last place in the East and avoiding the humiliation.

The team from the US capital has only two wins in the past 15 games in the MLS and the US Open Cup. The most recent win was against exactly Orlando, three weeks ago on the road, 3-5, but after that, they had only one draw and four losses, three of them in a row.

The defensive line is the biggest and the most critical problem Rooney needs to address, otherwise, this club will keep on suffering major blows. Just once over the course of the previous dozen events, DC managed to concede fewer than two goals.

Orlando City (+155) was playing mediocre football, not winning in four straight events, before eliminating the New York Red Bulls in the US Open Cup semis and reaching the trophy battle, where they meet the Sacramento Republic.

After four pretty dull games (two draws and then two losses) Orlando smashed the Bulls, 5-1. They usually play tough football, without some tempo or intensity, but against the Bulls, they went berserk.

The Lions didn’t win the past five games on the road, posting four draws and one loss, with the most recent four events ending with under 2.5 scores.

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Hamid, Perez and Smith are all out for the home unit, and some of them have been sidelined for a long time.

On the other side, only Stajduhar is injured and won’t play.

Head to Head Games

As said, these two clubs met three weeks ago, in Florida, and United won 3-5, which was a solid surprise at the time given the current form of both sides. Until that moment, the Lions were doing solid, while on the other hand, DC didn’t manage to do anything notable.

Prediction

The guests will come to wait for the rival’s mistake and if nothing else take one point. We expect them to stall the game as much as possible, keeping an eye on transition and counter-attacks. That is why our pick in this one is a moderate efficiency, 2 or 3 goals, with the odds on that set at +105.

Pick: 2 or 3 goals +105