A busy week in the MLS continues on Friday when the Vancouver Whitecaps take on the visiting Houston Dynamo as +120 favourites on the MLS odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Whitecaps have struggled since opening the campaign on a 3-1-1 run, dropping four of five since, including last week’s 1-0 defeat in Minnesota. However, a 2-0 victory over Real Salt Lake two weeks ago as -110 home chalk lifted the club to 2-1-1 in four home dates ahead of Friday night’s matchup at BC Place Stadium.
Offensive production has emerged as a real problem for the Whitecaps during their current 1-0-4 slide. Vancouver has been outscored by an 11-3 margin over its past five outings, and has also been held off the scoresheet twice at home this season.
The Dynamo travel to Vancouver riding high following last week’s 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy as a -120 wager. However, Houston has failed to record victories in consecutive league matches since last October, and is a dismal 2-9-11 on the road since the beginning of the 2017 MLS campaign.
The Dynamo also dropped a 2-1 decision to the Whitecaps as -165 favourites in a clash at BBVA Compass Stadium on March 10, and are 0-1-6 in seven all-time visits to Vancouver.
MLS action on Saturday has the Montreal Impact playing host to the Philadelphia Union as -105 favourites, while Toronto FC attempt to get back in the win column in their road clash with the New England Revolution as +220 underdogs.
The Impact return home after getting blanked 1-0 by the Chicago Fire as +335 underdogs on Wednesday, but have recorded wins in two of three home matches this season, including a decisive 4-2 victory over the visiting Revolution as a narrow +130 bet on May 5.
The road has not been kind to the Union, who have been outgunned 9-0 in four away losses this year, and have not posted a road victory since May 2017, going 0-4-12 in their past 16, including a 2-1 loss as +130 favourites in their last visit to Montreal in July of last year.
The Reds’ early-season struggles continued with Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to Seattle as -195 home favourites, leaving the defending MLS champions mired in 10th place on the Eastern Conference table.
TFC are also winless in four straight league matches on the road, capped by a lopsided 5-1 loss in Houston as +800 underdogs on April 21, and have slipped to +1000 on the 2018 MLS Cup odds. That puts them well back of Atlanta United, whose 7-1-2 start has lifted them to +400 championship favourites.
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