San Jose Can Win With Nine, How About 11? While the MLS doesn’t have as large a fan base as other soccer leagues around the world, MLS betting has no shortage of fans. One match sportsbook users might want to keep an eye out for is the matchup between the San Jose Earthquakes and the Real Salt Lake. The game is scheduled to take place on Friday the 22nd of July. The match will kickoff at 11:00 pm EST (4:00 pm BST) with Real Salt Lake hosting at Rio Tinto Stadium. While many fans considered these teams to be evenly matched the odds tell a different story. Let’s check in on the sportsbooks and see what they have to say for Friday’s matchup.
San Jose +330
Real Salt Lake -119
San Jose/Real Salt Lake Draw +208
San Jose is coming off an impressive performance against Toronto while Real Salt Lake is coming off a disappointing tie against the New England Revolution. Salt Lake had no shortage of scoring opportunities but did have a shortage of forwards capable of finishing a play. San Jose on the other hand proved that they don’t need eleven players to win by emerging victorious over Toronto F.C. 2-1 with a 9-player squad. While the two red cards are more than debatable San Jose stellar performance is indisputable.
Watching the replays will convince MLS betting fans that the Earthquakes were facing a 12 man team (11 opponents plus the referee) but that didn’t stop them from producing two beautiful goals in a stunning upset. While they never trailed San Jose showed great resilience in the face of two absurd straight red cards. Getting two players thrown out of the game because of the arrogance of a referee is frustrating enough, and for them to overcome their frustration and score a goal to put them over the top is just fantastic.
The game winning goal was delivered by Simon Dawkins and while it was a devastating shot more can be said about the lackluster play from Alex Bono, Toronto’s goalkeeper. The shot was crisp and clean with little spin but Bono completely misjudged it and thanks to a tremendous whiff the shot had no opposition. While the odds pin Salt Lake as the underdogs this performance speaks volumes about the team’s skill and liveliness.
Real Salt Lake’s previous game was nowhere near as exciting. Real had more than their share of opportunities to score but could not find the inside of the net. Real has luck to thank for not losing this game as the play from their defense was mediocre at best. Real is 7 points behind the Colorado Rapids for the lead in the Western Conference and will be looking for a win to chip away at that lead.
Real will be looking to get some sort of momentum early to combat the wave of confidence that San Jose will be riding in on. Salt Lake’s players have been hanging there head as of late; Real has lost their five previous matches. While the sportsbooks have certainly made up their mind regarding this match, those who engage in MLS betting might find a big reward waiting for them at the end of that +330 upset.