My how time flies. It seems like just yesterday MLS was crowning Atlanta United as MLS Cup Champions before a record crowd. It's that time of year again. The time of year where all teams feel like they have a shot at MLS Cup! Yup, preseason is over. Ladies & Gentlemen (and I use that term VERY loosely) the 2019 MLS season is upon us. Let's get to it shall we? This is the MLS N&A game thread, remember to keep it neutral in these parts. National TV games are noted, all game* times are eastern. All non-national TV games can be seen on ESPN+. Saturday March 2 PHL Vs. TFC 1:00PM ORL Vs. NYC 2:30PM Univision / Twitter CBS Vs. NYR 4:30PM FCD Vs. NER 4:30PM COL Vs. POR 6:00PM HOU Vs. RSL 6:00PM VAN Vs. MNU 6:00PM LAG Vs. CHI 8:00PM SJE Vs. MTL 10:00PM SEA Vs. FCC 10:00PM FS1 Sunday March 3 DCU Vs. ATL 6:00PM ESPN LAX Vs. SKC 8:30PM ESPN *CCL games can be found in the CCL Thread.
Wooo!!!! Let’s do this!! I look forward to seeing what a regular season Sounders game looks like.. So far it seems like the offense is clicking close to the end of last season. However, the defense... Kelvin Leerdam has really fallen off a cliff..
Guess I'll enjoy the next few days of being tied for first. Won't get to experience that feeling again until next year.
I am giddy with excitement! And that is despite the fact that I do not expect a repeat of the success of the last half of the regular season for my squad. But it will be good to watch and go to games anyway. Let's do this!
Five straight road games to open the season. For a team that won one match on the road all last year. Yeah, this will turn out well. (Actually, it will...either we'll be better on the road already for 2019 or Heath is gone before the home opener...)
Long-range forecast for @dcunited's opener vs. @ATLUTD at Audi Field next Sunday:33 degrees at kickoff, dropping to 30.#DCU #MLS #ATLUTD— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) February 25, 2019
The forecast for our game next week is 34/29 with PM snow showers, if our home opener was this Saturday it would have been 29/3.
Odds posted on SI.com (hence the home teams second). I am very much a eurosnob when it comes to depicting odds. This American +/- nonsense has always struck me as unnecessarily weird, while the European decimal system is quite clear. But this is what SI has, so I just copied it. Toronto +180 Philadelphia +110 Draw +260 New York City +100 Orlando City +200 Draw +265 New England +245 FC Dallas -125 Draw +275 New York +120 Columbus +170 Draw +255 Minnesota United +200 Vancouver +100 Draw +265 Portland +130 Colorado +155 Draw +255 Real Salt Lake +180 Houston +110 Draw +260 Chicago +295 LA Galaxy -155 Draw +300 Montreal +150 San Jose +135 Draw +255 FC Cincinnati +400 Seattle -169 Draw +300 Atlanta +115 D.C. United +175 Draw +260 Sporting Kansas City +230 Los Angeles FC -118 Draw +275 No really heavy favorites or big underdogs, except maybe in the Seattle-Cincinnati game. While MLS is typically great for picking underdogs, I'd be inclined to go for some home favorites in week 1, maybe with some parlays.
The MLS game in Houston on Saturday afternoon will probably be ok weather-wise. Temps right around 70F although there is a chance of thunderstorms again. The CCL game on Tuesday, March 5, against Tigres is going to be another story. Kickoff is at 9 pm CST. It is forecast to be 42F at that time. It could be down into the 30s by the end of the game. That's cold for Houston especially in March.
MLS is back this weekend. Championship Week(s) starts Monday. For soccer and college basketball fans, this is bliss!