MLS Betting Preview: Columbus Crew vs. FC Cincinnati

In the last six years the series has been heavily favoring the Columbus Crew. The two teams have met eleven times in that timespan and six of those games were victories for Columbus. 

On four occasions they ended in a draw and on only one single occasion was Cincinnati able to pick up the victory. That victory came way back in October of 2020, since then Columbus has added two more victories and their most recent meeting ended in a draw back in August of last year. 

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Recent Performance

Cincinnati FC has been one of the best teams in Major League Soccer so far this season. They picked up a 3-0 victory on Wednesday against the Montreal Impact and extended their winning streak to three games. 

They have not been defeated once this season at home and their only loss on the year came on the road to St. Louis City last month. They currently sit on top of the Eastern Conference standings and are a favorite to win the Supporters Shield with the way they have played throughout the early part of the year. 

The Columbus Crew are coming off of a victory in a midweek matchup against the Los Angeles Galaxy by a score of 2-0. It was their first win in Major League Soccer action since April 8th when they defeated DC United by a score of 2-0. They have now won three out of their last five games on the year. In their last five games of the year they also have a draw against Orlando City and a loss to Inter Miami. Two of those three victories have come against lower league sides in the 2023 US Open Cup. 

Stats

Columbus has scored at least one goal in every game this season and the majority of the time they score at least two goals per game. Half of the time they find the back of the net three times per game as well. 

Cincinnati has had no problem putting the ball in the back of the net at least once per game this season and they find themselves scoring two goals per game in half of their games this season as well, just like their opponents in this one. 

Cincinnati has had a knack for scoring late goals this season as most of their goals come between the 61st and 75th minute of games. They are established as a second half team this season. It is the exact opposite for the Columbus Crew this season, as most of their goals come before the halftime whistle, mostly in the final 15 minutes of regular time in the 31st to 45th minutes of the game. 

My Pick

Rivalry games in professional sports can always go either way as you tend to throw the records and recent performances out the door. However, with the way FC Cincinnati has been playing this season, I cannot see them losing this game at home. I expect this one to be a tight game, but I expect Cincinnati to grab their second win over Columbus in the last six years.

My Pick: FC Cincinnati