FC Cincinnati is the favorite to win the 2023 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, and they are next in action against the Philadelphia Union when they meet in the Eastern Conference semi-final at the TQL Stadium later this month. The Orange and Blue enter the match as the betting favorites, and in our latest MLS soccer betting picks, we tell you if they are going to make it to the conference final.
We’re now down to the final eight teams remaining in the 2023 MLS Cup playoffs. We’ve had the Wild Card matches, and we’ve also had the best-of-three first-round matches. Of the top four seeds in both the Eastern and Western Conferences, only St. Louis City has failed to make it to the last eight. St. Louis fell to number eight seeds, Sporting Kansas, who saw off the table toppers in just two matches.
The loss of St. Louis has affected the betting to win the MLS Cup, which we now take a look at before we get onto our picks to win the match between Cincinnati and Philadelphia.
Cincinnati has been the most consistent team in the MLS all season. They went into the postseason playoffs as the betting favorites, and after seeing off the New York Red Bulls in two matches of the first round, the Orange and Blue are still the favorites.
In the betting to win the 2023 MLS Cup, FC Cincinnati is +250 with the best MLS betting sites. Their closest rivals are the defending champions, Los Angeles FC, who are +400 to win the cup for a second consecutive season.
LAFC’s opponents in their Western Conference semi-final are the Seattle Sounders, and it’s the Sounders who are next in the betting at +600. Expect whoever comes through that match to not be far behind Cincinnati in the betting (assuming that Pat Noonan’s team gets past Philadelphia).
Behind Seattle in the betting are the Columbus Crew and Orlando City at +650. The Philadelphia Union is +900, the Houston Dynamo are +1000, and Sporting Kansas City are the backmarkers at +1600.
In match betting, the best soccer betting sites make FC Cincinnati their -115 favorites to win on the money line. The draw is +286, with a win for Philadelphia Union priced up at +315.
In the props markets, both teams to score is -150 (yes), with no at +110. Over 2.5 goals is -143, with under 2.5 at +110.
More match betting options are available on our MLS odds table. You can read more information about the sites our odds are taken from on our best online sportsbook reviews page.
| FC Cincinnati vs. Philadelphia Union |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| FC Cincinnati | -115 | -115 | -115 |
| Philadelphia Union | +315 | +315 | +315 |
| Draw | +286 | +286 | +286 |
Even though FC Cincinnati saw off the Red Bulls in two matches, they did need penalties to clinch the second win and their place in the semi-final.
That’s not to say they wouldn’t have won the third match if required. And the chances are they would have. As they made light work of the Red Bulls at TQL Stadium in the first match, seeing off New York 3-0.
The number four-seeded Philadelphia Union also only needed two matches to see off the number five-seeded New England Revolution in their first-round best-of-three series. The Union won the opening match at Subaru Park 3-1, but the match wasn’t as one-sided as the scoreline might suggest.
Then in the second fixture at the Gillette Stadium, a goal from Chris Donovan after 79 minutes was the difference. The Revolution did have to play the whole of the second half with only ten men after Mark-Anthony Kaye saw red on 45 minutes.
This is the number one-seeded team against the number four-seeded team. In the Eastern Conference regular season, a 14-point gap separated the two teams. FC Cincinnati finished top with 69 points from their 34 matches, and with that, they claimed the top seeding. The Philadelphia Union finished fourth on 55 points, winning just 15 of their 34 matches, five less than Cincinnati won.
At the TQL Stadium this season, Cincinnati has a 14-2-2 record if you include the 3-0 playoff win over New York Red Bulls. On the road, the Philadelphia Union is 6-4-8 this season (including the 1-0 win over New England). That’s a pretty standard home record for the team that topped the conference. And also nothing special away from home for the Philadelphia Union, in finishing fourth this year.
For our pick, we are going with who we believe has been the better team this season. FC Cincinnati may not win the MLS Cup. But if they do fall short, we feel it will be later in the playoffs that they lose. We can only see a win and a place in the final for head coach Pat Noonan and his Cincinnati team, and make that our MLS betting pick for this match.
Check below for our list of the top sportsbooks where you can wager online:
About the Author
Dean is primarily a fan of English football who regularly attends games, and combining his hobby with his job, he is now a full-time sports betting writer. Rather than going down the educational route into sports journalism, Dean learned his trade by writing for his English football betting website since 2009, where he now boasts nearly 15 years of experience. After writing about football daily for years, Dean has taken the skills he learned and now uses them to great effect writing for numerous affiliate sites across the internet. A general all-around sports enthusiast with a passion for English football and cricket, Dean is also well able to turn his hand to writing about golf, tennis, F1, boxing, snooker, darts, and North American sports. Combining his extensive knowledge and experience with British humor and wit, Dean has developed into a trusted voice within the sports betting industry.
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