FC Dallas vs Sporting KC Betting Preview

Two teams from opposite ends of the MLS Western Conference standings meet on Saturday night when Sporting KC plays host to FC Dallas. At home, Kansas City is heavily favored with a -161 moneyline compared to the FC Dallas moneyline of +420. There is also a +310 moneyline for a draw and an over/under of 2.5 goals.

FC Dallas heads into the weekend with just 14 points from 15 matches, putting them just one point ahead of the last-place team in the Western Conference. The good news is that the Toros are coming off a remarkable 4-0 win over the LA Galaxy last weekend. With that being the team’s only win in its last five matches, the Toros hope it’ll be a jumping-off point.

Meanwhile, Sporting Kansas City sits second in the Western Conference standings, just two points behind the Seattle Sounders. The Wizards have won nine of their 15 matches this season and are fresh off a win over Seattle to close the gap at the top of the table. Sporting KC also has a five-match unbeaten run, winning four and drawing one during that stretch.

All-Out Attack

The Wizards have been carried all season by their dynamic attack, which ranks third in the league with 28 goals in 15 matches. That includes 11 goals during the team’s five-match unbeaten run, as six players have contributed multiple goals during the campaign. However, while Daniel Salloi is responsible for five goals in his last five matches, second-leading scorer Alan Pulido is still away on international duty, as is midfielder Gianluca Busio, who has two goals and two assists this season.

On the other end of the field, the Wizards haven’t been quite as impressive. Sporting KC has just one clean sheet in the club’s last nine matches, as the attack sometimes leaves the Wizards vulnerable in the back. The silver lining is that the Wizards have only conceded multiple goals twice during that nine-match run.

Where Has This Been

FC Dallas beating the Galaxy 4-0 last weekend may have been the most shocking result of the MLS season thus far. The four-goal explosion came on the heels of the Toros being shut out in back-to-back matches. However, it’s possible it was a coming out-moment for teenager Ricardo Pepi, who scored a hat trick in the game to give him eight goals in 14 matches, accounting for 44% of the team’s offense.

The Toros have also experienced some defensive issues this season, conceding 23 goals in 15 matches. Obviously, FC Dallas kept a clean sheet against a strong Galaxy attack in that match, which is a step in the right direction. But the Toros also conceded 11 goals in their five previous games, so it’s hard not to look at the win over the Galaxy as an aberration in more ways than one.

Back to Reality

It’ll take more than one win to believe that FC Dallas has turned things around. They are likely to have defensive issues with KC’s attack and remain overly reliant on Pepi for goals.

Bet on Sporting KC to win this game 3-1.