FC Cincinnati at Toronto FC September 29 Betting Preview & Picks

As far as the Major League Soccer playoffs are concerned, it’s now or never for FC Cincinnati and Toronto FC, who square off against one another on Wednesday night.

The two teams currently occupy the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, so both sides need to grab three points on Wednesday.

At home, Toronto is favored with a -126 moneyline, while Cincinnati’s moneyline is set at +310 with a +275 moneyline for a draw.

For what it’s worth, FC Cincinnati has one more point than Toronto ahead of Wednesday’s game despite playing one fewer match this season. The Orange and Blue sit on 20 points, having won just four times in 25 matches.

That puts them 17 points behind the final playoff spot with nine matches left, meaning there are 27 points still up for grabs.

Things are even worse for Toronto FC, which has 19 points from 26 matches. The Reds have only eight matches left, giving them a possible 24 points to collect and 18 points to make up in the standings.

The situation is desperate for both teams, with Wednesday being the last chance either club has to mound any type of late-season comeback.

Just a Little Hope

If it’s any consolation for Toronto, the club has gone back-to-back games without a loss. The Reds beat Nashville earlier this month to snap a six-game losing streak and followed it up with a scoreless draw against Colorado last weekend.

However, they’ve scored just two goals in their last three matches and will need to score goals if they expect to take three points on Wednesday.

The goals have been hard to come by for Toronto this season, with leading scorer Jonathan Osorio scoring just four goals all season and being held off the scoresheet in September.

He’s just one of two players in the Toronto squad with more than two goals this year. To make matters worse, the Reds are also one of the worst defensive teams in MLS despite keeping a clean sheet last weekend.

New Voice

On the heels of three straight losses in which they were outscored 10-3, Cincinnati fired coach Jaap Stam, replacing him with interim coach Tyrone Marshall. It’s one last attempt by the Orange and Blue to make something of the season.

Needless to say, Marshall’s first priority is to get the team more organized defensively after conceding ten goals in three matches.

Of course, Cincinnati will also need to find the back of the net more regularly down the stretch. Young forward Brenner has scored twice in his last four games and now leads the club with seven goals this season.

Diminutive Argentinian playmaker Luciano Acosta also holds the key for Cincinnati as the team’s player with most assists, who also scored in a losing effort last weekend against DC United.

Toss-Up

It’s tough to call this game because there’s always uncertainty about how a team will perform immediately after a managerial change. But if Cincinnati comes out with a little extra energy, that could give them some value as the road underdog.

On the other hand, Toronto has taken points from back-to-back games despite a 2-0 loss to Cincinnati earlier this month.