The Columbus Crew (1 win, 0 losses, 1 draw) welcome Toronto FC (0-1-1) to Lower.com Field Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. ET. Below, we preview the Columbus Crew vs. Toronto FC odds and lines, and make our best MLS bets, picks and predictions.
The Crew return home following a thrilling 3-3 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes (March 5). Leading 3-1 with 80 minutes passed and up a man, the Crew let San Jose score twice in the final 10 minutes, including a 96th-minute penalty kick to tie the game. It had to be a demoralizing defeat.
The Crew won their first game 4-0 against Vancouver. 2021 All-Star M Lucas Zelarayán is the only Crew player with multiple goals on the season, having tallied 3 through two games.
Toronto FC has scored 2 goals and given up 5. It drew FC Dallas 1-1 to kick the season off but was destroyed 4-1 by the New York Red Bulls March 5.
Only F Jonathan Osorio and F Jesús Jiménez have scored for Toronto FC, the 10th-place team in the Eastern Conference.
Columbus Crew vs. Toronto FC: Odds, picks and predictions
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:05 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Columbus Crew -160 (bet $160 to win $100) | Toronto FC +430 (bet $100 to win $430) | Draw +300
- Over/Under: 2.5 (O: -140 | U: +115)
[tipico]
Prediction
Columbus Crew 3, Toronto FC 1
Money line (ML)
LEAN to COLUMBUS CREW (-160).
The value here isn’t terrific, but at -160, I like the Crew to win outright. The Crew are undefeated at home, just 1-0-0. Despite not having a great season a year ago, they still defended their home field well, winning 10 of 17.
The Crew have allowed just 3 goals this season. Toronto has struggled so far with its only draw coming against the 10th-place team in the Western Conference.
Through two games, Toronto has just 14 shots and 6 on target, equating to an average of 3 on target per game. The Crew have 41 shots and 13 on target. They’ve been the more aggressive and impressive team so far.
The -160 price isn’t great value on the money line, but the Crew should come out on top at home.
Over/Under (O/U)
BET OVER 2.5 (-140).
It’s a tad riskier, but one can get an alternate line of Over 3.5 (+170). Three of the two teams’ combined four games have gone Over 3.5 goals with two games going Over 4.5 goals.
The only one to not hit the mark was Toronto’s season-opening 1-1 draw with FC Dallas. Even that game had 2 first-half goals and 19 shots, but it stalled in the second half.
The Crew have 7 goals and 4 assists. They’re tied with LAFC and Atlanta for the third-most assists in the MLS.
Considering how both teams have played and the defensive aptitude shown in their performances, betting on more goals seems to be the smart play.
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