Mayra Madrigal
After several months of rest, the MLS will finally be back in action this weekend. The North American league is characterized by starting between the end of February and the beginning of March, once the rest of the leagues in the world are already advanced. FC Cincinnati vs Houston Dynamo FC will meet on the opening day, almost two years after the last time they faced each other.
Cincinnati performed better in 2022, which led them to advance to the quarterfinals, where they were eliminated at the hands of Philadelphia Union. As for Houston Dynamo FC, their statistics were not enough to qualify for the playoffs, as they were eliminated in the regular stage and finished second to last in the Western Conference.
Without further ado, at JefeBet we have the FC Cincinnati vs Houston Dynamo FC preview, which contains the most complete sports betting information, odds, and prediction.
Predictions, Odds, and Betting Preview for the FC Cincinnati vs Houston Dynamo FC MLS Matchday 1 Game on February 25, 2023
- Where: TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
- When: Saturday, February 25, 2023, 7:30 PM ET
- BetMGM Moneyline: FC Cincinnati (-160) / Draw (+310) / Houston Dynamo (+375)
- DraftKings Asian Handicap: FC Cincinnati (AH -1.25, +120) / Houston Dynamo (AH +1.25, -175)
- Over/Under (2.5): Over (-165) / Under (+115)
- Both teams score: Yes (-185) / No (+125)
Odds provided by BetMGM and DraftKings.
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Betting on FC Cincinnati
FC Cincinnati finished the 2022 season with a 1-0 loss to the Philadelphia Union in the quarterfinals. After that, the team remained inactive until a month ago, when it reappeared to play a series of preparation matches. They played four friendlies and recorded two wins and two losses, but now the real competition starts, as they will try to improve on the numbers of the previous campaign.
The team finished in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with 49 units, after a record of 12 wins, 13 ties, and nine losses. They were one of the lowest losing teams in their zone and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since joining the MLS in 2019.
Possible Lineup (4-3-3): Alec Kann; Ray Gaddis, Nick Hagglund, Yerson Mosquera, Ian Murphy; Luciano Acosta, Junior Moreno, Obinna Emmanuel Nwobodo; Álvaro Barreal, Sergio Henrique Santos, Brandon Vázquez.
Betting on Houston Dynamo FC
Houston Dynamo FC wants to put the 2022 season behind it, as it was the second-worst team in the Western Conference with a record of 10 wins, six draws, and 18 losses. It was a terrible campaign for the Texan squad, as it really hasn’t lifted in the last five seasons, and their best result in that period has been a ninth place finish in 2018.
Earlier this month, the team began preparing for this new campaign and was very active, playing friendly matches with Liga MX and MLS teams. Of the six matches they have faced, they have only lost one, and they are coming off a positive balance since they have not lost in the last five matches, the most recent being a 2-0 victory over FC Dallas.
Possible Lineup (4-4-3): Steve Clark; Daniel Steres, Ethan Bartlow, Teenage Hadebe, Tate Schmitt; Adalberto Carrasquilla, Héctor Herrera, Artur; Iván Franco, Corey Baird, Amine Bassi.
JefeBet Prediction
The recent friendlies may be misleading, as Houston appears to be in better shape. However, we must remember what its previous tournament was like. The Cincinnati franchise is theoretically the stronger of the two and will use home advantage to try to get its first three points.
Prediction: FC Cincinnati wins by a score of 2-0.
