Predictions and Best Bets for MLS Games on Sunday, September 19 (2021)

Four games wrap up Week 26 of the 2021 MLS season on Sunday, September 19. Montreal hosts Chicago in the early kick-off before Vancouver visits Colorado for the final tie of the weekend.

I will be sharing my MLS predictions for each of Sunday’s matches in this post, along with some betting picks. Before we go any further, though, let’s take a look at the schedule.

Fifth-place Portland and seventh-place LAFC are separated by just a single point in the Western Conference, adding extra spice to their clash. Over in the East, Philadelphia will be hoping to close the six-point gap on Orlando.

Join me as I go through my predictions for Sunday’s MLS games – and make sure you stick around for my MLS picks, too.

On Wednesday, Montreal secured a mightily impressive 4-2 victory over Orlando, with Romell Quioto picking up a goal and two assists. The Honduras international now has four goals and five assists under his belt this year, underlining his importance to the team.

The Canadians have lost just one of their previous six matches, claiming three wins and two draws in the process. If they continue to avoid defeat, they will almost certainly find themselves in the playoffs.

Chicago, on the other hand, suffered a demoralizing 3-0 loss to DC United in midweek. Raphael Wicky’s men only managed to register a single shot on target at Audi Field, highlighting their offensive issues.

The Fire have lost three of their last four games and now sit 11 points behind Montreal in the standings. Considering the contrasting form of these two sides, I’m confident that Montreal will win this one.

On the face of it, Philadelphia is ninth in the Eastern Conference, while Orlando is third. However, it is important to remember that the gap between the teams is only six points.

Granted, the Lions have a game in hand over the Union. But when you consider that Philly has only suffered one defeat more than Orlando this year, it’s clear that there isn’t much to separate the two sides.

Funnily enough, both Philly and Orlando have lost their previous two outings. Neither side is enjoying a particularly positive run at the moment, so I expect them to produce a tense affair on Sunday.

Having taken everything into account, the draw feels like the best bet for Philadelphia Union vs. Orlando City. Both coaches will be eager to avoid three straight losses, so we should see plenty of cautious soccer at PPL Park.

Portland showed great resilience to come from behind on two occasions and snatch a draw against Colorado on Wednesday. Despite Bill Tuiloma’s first-half red card, the Timbers battled hard and managed to pick up a precious point.

Felipe Mora scored the first goal – taking his tally to 12 goals and five assists in 24 MLS appearances this season – before Sebastian Blanco netted a stoppage-time equalizer.

Los Angeles FC has also registered a series of positive results recently. In fact, Bob Bradley’s men are enjoying a four-match unbeaten streak of their own, having toppled Austin FC in midweek.

That said, LAFC’s poor away record is a cause for concern. The Black & Gold have only managed to win three of their 11 road matches this year, suffering seven defeats along the way.

This is likely to be a tight game, but I can see Portland coming out on top.

As I just mentioned, the Rapids extended their seemingly unstoppable unbeaten run to nine matches with a draw against the Timbers last time out. When you look at the bigger picture, they have only lost one of their last 14 games.

Third-place Colorado is sitting pretty in the Western Conference, just three points shy of first-place Sporting Kansas City. With two games in hand over the Wizards, Robin Fraser’s men are in a seriously strong position.

On the flip side, the Whitecaps find themselves down in ninth place – 14 points behind Colorado. Although they have won four of their past six outings, they have only claimed seven victories all year.

While I expect Vancouver to put up a decent fight on Sunday, I’m sure that Colorado will come away with all three points. I mean, the Rapids are on fire right now!

I’m confident that I’ve found two excellent value bets for Sunday’s MLS games. Remember – if you’re betting on Major League Soccer this weekend, make sure you make full use of the top-rated online MLS sportsbooks.

Montreal (2.00) is the bookies’ favorite to win this one, leaving Chicago (3.60) as the underdog. Still, the juicy price for the home victory is definitely worth taking advantage of here.

The Fire have lost three of their previous four matches and head into Sunday’s clash in poor form. Montreal, meanwhile, is coming off a big win over Orlando and will be confident of picking up a fourth victory in seven games this weekend.

Although I predict that Portland will win this match, the bookies have the Timbers at 2.88 to seal the victory. At 2.20, LAFC is the favorite to claim all three points. With that in mind, I suggest exploring the goal-based markets.

Portland is averaging 3.1 goals per game this year, while LAFC’s average is exactly three. The Timbers also have the worst defensive record in the West, while Bradley’s men are the third-highest scorers in the conference.

We are destined to see a high-scoring encounter at Providence Park, so I recommend backing over 3.5 goals.