Betting Picks

Saturday, September 4, 20:30 EST

With the fall season upon us, sports betting reaches a high among fans as one of the most exciting times of the year gets underway.  Football preseason is nearly over, and  betting on NFL has already begun; opening night is just over a week away.  Meanwhile, there is plenty of soccer betting available as the Premiership is underway in England, while Major League Soccer nears the end of the regular season here in North America.

Two teams near the top of the respective tables battle on the pitch this weekend at the Toronto FC travel south to take on FC Dallas.

Third in the Eastern Conference with 27 points, just one ahead of Kansas City, the Toronto FC take their game on the road where they have struggled all year.  Their home play is what has taken them deep into the season at third place, but their road performances have been consistently poor, save for one aberration against the Galaxy, a draw.  In nine games this season, TFC has won one, drawn one, and lost their other seven.  They have scored only seven goals while conceding 16.

The Red Shirts have been struggling of late, even at home where they have been so strong. A recent scoreless draw against Real Salt Lake followed a 4-1 dismantling by the New York Red Bulls.  TFC have not won in three matches, and not earned a road point in over two months.

Dallas, meanwhile, has come on strong of late and building a great deal of momentum in the second half of the season.  A road draw to top team Columbus followed three straight victories.  What’s more, FC Dallas has not lost in 12 matches.

In their run, they have climbed to third place in the Western Conference, just three points behind Real Salt Lake, with a comfortable five point lead on fourth place Seattle. They have a plus 11 goal differential, with 28 four and 17 against.  This contrasts sharply with Toronto, who has scored fewer and allowed more, achieving a poor minus three differential.

Including a CONCACAF loss, Toronto has been shut out in two straight matches, and scored only once in their last four. Dwayne De Rosario has nine goals on the year, and Chad Barrett has five.  Both will have to do better if they hope to breach the defense of a tough Dallas Team. Only three times all season has Dallas conceded two goals in a game, and all three were in April at the start of the season.

Betting lines: Earlier this season, Dallas visited Toronto and earned a 1-1 draw.  Since then, Dallas have been on a tear and is now back at home where they six wins and only one loss on the year.  Toronto has struggled of late, and has been consistently awful on the road.  They will not solve their road woes in this match, as Dallas triumphs 3-1 over TFC.