Sporting KC Favored to Advance in MLS Playoffs

Competition: MLS (USA’s top division)

Location: Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City

Time: Saturday, Nov. 20, 5 p.m. ET

TV: TSN1

Live Stream: MLSsoccer.com & App

Major League Soccer Betting Lines

Head to Head

• Previous Matches: 22
• Sporting KC Victories: 12 (41 goals)
• Vancouver Whitecaps Victories: 6 (26 goals)
• Draws: 4

 

They met twice in 2021. Each team won at home, Sporting KC did it 3-0, while the Whitecaps did it 2-1.

Kansas City owns a 5-2-3 record in their last 10 meetings with the Whitecaps. They scored 2.1 goals per game, allowed 0.8, and finished with a clean sheet four times. The total went over in six of those games.

Vancouver beat Kansas City on the road for the last time in 2017.

Offense is the Best Defense

Sporting KC finished the regular season in third place with 58 points thanks to a 17-7-10 record. They also scored 58 goals and allowed 40. No other team in the Western Conference scored more goals than them.

Daniel Salloi has a lot to do with that. He finished the regular season among the league’s top scorers with 16 goals. He’s one of the nominees for Most Valuable Player. Johnny Russell also had a great regular season, he scored 15 goals. That attacking duo is the main reason for you to consider including them in your soccer picks.

Most recently, they lost 1-0 to Real Salt Lake. They clinched a spot in the Playoffs several weeks ago, several starters didn’t play the last couple of games. That will allow them to be well-rested despite having played during the international break.

Sporting KC have been considerably better when playing at home. They own a 9-5-3 record (8-2-7 on the road), 9-8 against the spread and 6-9-2 over/under. They scored in four of their last five home games, two or more goals three times.

We’re talking about a well-balanced team. Head coach Peter Vermes has a lot of experience in the Playoffs thanks to 17 appearances, seven as a player. He knows a thing or two about handling the pressure, that’s a huge advantage.

White Knight

No, I’m not talking about Harvey Dent, I’m talking about Ben White. If Sporting KC have Salloi, the Vancouver Whitecaps have White. He finished the regular season with 12 goals, including scoring in six straight games.

Of course, he can’t do it all, but he doesn’t have to. Ryan Gauld has had an amazing season as well. In fact, he’s among the finalists to win Newcomer of the Year.

The Whitecaps are the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference. They ended with 49 points thanks to a 12-13-9 record, 45 goals for and against. Curiously enough, they lost one less game than Sporting KC.

They didn’t lose in their last six games, while they scored at least one goal in their last eight games. Right now, their confidence level is second to none.

The Whitecaps didn’t perform well on the road, but they don’t have a choice here, do they? They own a 2-10-5 record, 11-3-3 against the betting online spread and 8-7-2 over/under. If there’s something you can expect from them, it’s goals. They scored in 76 percent of their road games.

No major injuries to report here. Vancouver has no excuses to not go all-in.

Final Analysis, Predictions

The most wonderful time of the year is finally here. The Playoffs only include la crème de la crème, which means we’re in for a treat. Sporting KC come in as the better team, no doubt about it, but the Vancouver Whitecaps will put up a fight. They can be very effective when playing on the counterattack. Both will score, but the total won’t go over.

If you want to increase your winning chances, don’t forget to check the props our sportsbook is offering. Our score prediction is offering a +750 price. It’s going to be a close one, so go with 41-50 minutes for the first goal at +700.

Score Prediction: Sporting KC 2, Vancouver Whitecaps 1

Pick: Sporting KC by 1 at +275