The Union has clinched a spot in the knockout round of the MLS Is Back Tournament. Now it is just the matter of whether they go in as:
> The top finisher in Group A (with a win Monday night against Orlando City SC) and play at 8 p.m. Saturday (ESPN2) against a wild-card qualifier; or
> The second-place finisher in Group A (with a loss or draw) and play at 10:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN2) against the second-place finisher in Group C (which could be Toronto FC, New England or D.C. United).
The Union has scored six goals in four games this season (two early season and the two tournament contests). They have come from six different players.
Midfielder Jamiro Monteiro has the most minutes played (351) among the non-defenders who have yet to score. But we know he can, and can do so in bunches.
His had four goals in 2019 and they came in a span of 10 games (April 20 through June 8). Anything close to that offense over the next few weeks would go a long way toward the Union making a bigger impact on this tournament than they already have.
Let’s see if he can get started tonight.
DraftKings had by far the best goal odds as of this writing.
Monteiro To Score –
$3/$39.00 . . . First Goal (+1300)
$2/$26.00 . . . Last Goal (+1300)
$5/$25.50 . . . Any Goal (+510)
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One thing all four Union games have had in common this season is that they have all been tied at halftime − 0-0, 1-1, 0-0 and 1-1.
The best odds we found on a first-half draw was +123 at DraftKings, so we are getting down on that.
Score at Halftime –
$10/$12.30 . . . Draw (+123)