The Los Angeles Galaxy have been one of the best teams in the MLS this season. While city rival LAFC have gotten a lot of the attention because of their goal scoring prowess, the Galaxy have the best record in the league through nine games at 7-1-1. This Saturday, they will head east to take on last year’s Eastern Conference runner-up New York Red Bulls. It hasn’t been the best season for NYRB to this point, but they will be out to defend their home turf.
Don't miss the Major League Soccer action from Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 4, 2019. Catch every moment of the match live on ESPN.
MLS Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
New York Red Bulls +101
Los Angeles Galaxy +245
Draw +266
Over/Under 2.5 and 3
Odds Analysis
Many of the favorites out East have not started the season well. NYRB did get a Champions League Round of 16 win over Atletico Pantoja, but the club was smashed by Santos Laguna in the quarterfinals. They haven’t looked great in MLS play either. We haven’t seen the offensive spark that has helped define this team in the past, and they have been blanked 1-0 on three separate occasions already. Last week, the Red Bulls were able to turn the tables on that and beat FC Cincinnati 1-0 after a Connor Lade goal in the 38th minute.
The Galaxy have been flawless at home this season, but it’s been a different story on the road. They are 1-1-1 outside of LA, and they played Minnesota United to a scoreless draw in their last road tilt. We have seen much better defense from the Galaxy than we did in 2018, and that’s helped the team turn things around after stunning everyone by missing out on the playoffs last year.
Key Absences
Midfielder Florian Valot is likely out for the rest of the season after tearing an ACL for the second time in nine months back in March, and it looks like Bradley Wright-Phillips might miss this match for the Red Bulls too due to a muscle strain.
Midfielder Perry Kitchen is going to miss this match with a foot injury, but the bigger loss is to counterpart Romain Alessandrini. One of the team’s top offensive options had to undergo surgery for a torn meniscus and is expected to miss four months. Defender Julian Araujo is questionable for the Galaxy.
Player to Watch
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has had a massive impact since coming over to the MLS. Ibra is the second-leading goal scorer in the league this year with eight goals through nine matches, and he gives the Galaxy an ever present weapon. He may be inching closer to 40, but he is having the run of things in the league. Ibra doesn’t have the pace he once did, yet his touch and nose for goal make him the most dangerous player on the pitch.
Prop Bet of the Week – Los Angeles Galaxy Over 1.5 Goals +150
I’ll take my chances with the Galaxy scoring multiple goals in this game. NYRB haven’t looked particularly sharp, and the Galaxy should be able to take advantage. With the amount of goal scoring talent on this team, I think there’s closer to a 50-50 chance the Galaxy score two or more goals.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Look for Ibra to score a goal and the Galaxy to get the win here. The Red Bulls have been juggling their formation to find success, and I was not impressed with the 5-4-1 formation we saw last week.
Major League Soccer Odds: Los Angeles Galaxy 2, New York Red Bulls 1
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