Los Angeles have had the best possible start of the season and will hope they extend their dominant performances into the upcoming match against the newcomers Cincinnati, who will visit LAFC at California Stadium on April 14th.
LAFC are just phenomenal this season. Out of the 6 MLS fixtures behind them, LAFC won 5 and drew one, which makes them one of the 2 teams that have not yet lost a match this season. Looking back at who LAFC had to face in the last 5 fixtures, LAFC drew against New York City (2:2) and won against Portland Timbers (4:1), Real Salt Lake (2:1), San Jose Earthquakes (0:5) and most recently DC United (0:4). Solely looking at their result, it becomes clear that LAFC are a class above all other teams. With two impressive 0:5 and 0:4 results behind them, it seems like they are unstoppable, which is something Cincinnati will have to test out for us to know. LAFC last fixture against DC United was a surprising one, to say the least. There were a lot of people who looked at that match as the clash between two of the best teams in the whole league, and while we believe that was the case, the result shows a completely different picture. If we still believe DC United are one of the best teams in the league that ultimately means LAFC are by far the best team this season. Is this really the case is something we need to wait and see, however as of now, I don't see LAFC stopping with their dominant performances.
The visiting side, Cincinnati FC have managed to climb to the 5th spot in the East with decent results behind them. After what seemed a disappointing start, Cincinnati managed to grab a few points in their recent matches, which might spell a good first season, however, it's far too early to know for sure.
Looking back at their last 5 fixtures, Cincinnati lost to Philadelphia Union (0:3), won against Portland Timbers (3:0) and New England Revolution (0:2) and drew against Atlanta United (1:1) and most recently against Sporting Kansas City (1:1). What we have noticed when watching Cincinnati play is that they can perform well, however once faced against a strong team, their flaws become obvious. Cincinnati simply don't have the team depth to compete on the top level. Despite being more than capable of grabbing points from the bottom of the league teams, Cincinnati crumbles once paired with a top dog.
There is a huge gap between the two sides. On one side we have the inexperienced Cincinnati, who despite showing some potential still don't come off as a real threat for the top spots. And on the other side, we have got LAFC who are cruising through the league with two exceptional victories behind them. When it comes to the question, how this match will play out, the answer should be obvious. LAFC are at the moment just too good for Cincinnati and are expected to win this one with relative ease. While I do believe Cincinnati are a decent team, LAFC are just on another level and the visitors know that. I do not expect a lot of resistance from Cincinnati, who should be aware they are in for a hard match. Both LAFC strikers Vela and Rossi combined 8 goals in the last 2 matches, and if they managed to score 4 against DC United, I would not be comfortable saying Cincinnati will fare any better.
Prediction: LAFC -1.50 Asian Handicap
BetScorum Link: https://betscorum.com/en-us/game/4404
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