MLS is back tournament betting preview for Group E which includes best bets and tournament odds. Group E is in the Eastern Conference which has four teams – Atlanta United, FC Cincinnati, New York Red Bulls, and Columbus Crew.
Team-by-team guide
Atlanta United +1100 to win MLS is Back Tournament
It is hard to believe that 2020 is only Atlanta United’s fourth season in existence given their quality and, having already won the MLS Cup in that time, they will be eager to add the MLS is Back Tournament to their trophy cabinet.
They came close again in MLS last year, placing second in their conference and making it all the way to the Eastern finals where they were edged by Toronto in a tight affair in Georgia.
They started this season with comfortable wins over Nashville and Cincinnati, showing they can excel in the absence of key striker Josef Martinez, who remains sidelined with a torn ACL. Ezequiel Barco, Pity Martinez and Emerson Hyndman can, instead, help them try to justify reasonable odds of +1100 to take away the top prize.
FC Cincinnati +8000 to win MLS is Back Tournament
Last term‘s MLS expansion side FC Cincinnati are big outsiders at +8000 to win the tournament and merely getting out of this tough group would be a tremendous achievement.
That is not to say, however, they cannot be competitive and their roster looks markedly stronger than in 2019, when they finished at the foot of the table in their debut campaign as the only MLS club to average less than a goal per game.
After getting Jurgen Locadia to stay until next summer and snapping up European pedigree in Siem De Jong and Adrien Regattin, they look more dangerous in attack than ever before.
New York Red Bulls +1400 to win MLS is Back Tournament
This is a tough section for any side and a New York Red Bulls side who are still in transition could struggle, suggesting their +1400 quote to win the tournament is unappealing.
They lost a number of players in the off-season, with Bradley Wright-Phillips, Kemar Lawrence and Luis Robles all departing before Southampton loanee Josh Sims saw his deal at the Big Apple outfit expire.
They made hard work of games with Cincinnati and Real Salt Lake at the start of the season and may be too undercooked to progress far in the tournament.
Columbus Crew +2800 to win MLS is Back Tournament
Columbus Crew concluded some excellent business in the off-season, bringing in Argentinian midfielder Lucas Zelarayan from Tigres for around $7 million and a striker with plenty of MLS experience in Nigerian Fanendo Adi.
They started the season with an impressive win over New York City before holding reigning MLS Cup holders Seattle Sounders to a draw and have a great shot at progressing from this section.
Squad depth should aid them during a hectic schedule and they can count on goals from Gyasi Zardes, who has scored 33 times in the MLS across three seasons.
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