Houston Dynamo vs. Vancouver Whitecaps MLS Preview and Prediction
The Vancouver Whitecaps’ tour of Texas continues this weekend, as they’ll take on the Houston Dynamo this Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET. The hosts are coming off a 3-0 road defeat to Real Salt Lake, but they have rattled off four consecutive wins in front of their home fans. Meanwhile, the visitors ended a two-game winless streak with a 3-2 road victory at FC Dallas, and they’re now unbeaten in seven straight matches.
Two squads currently in the playoff picture will go head-to-head for three points, so let’s dive into my Houston Dynamo vs. Vancouver Whitecaps picks.
Houston Dynamo vs. Vancouver Whitecaps MLS Odds and Betting Trends
Houston are underdogs on Saturday, carrying +280 odds on the three-way moneyline. The visitors are -115 road favourites, and the draw has a +270 price on the MLS odds. This is the fourth game on the road where we’ve seen Vancouver as road favourites, and while they opened up with back-to-back draws, they finally picked up a win in their latest match. However, they’ve struggled against Houston lately, going 1-2-2 in their last five meetings.
Once again, oddsmakers are stuck between 2.5 and 3.5 goals. Over 2.5 goals has -180 odds with under at +140, while over 3.5 goals sits at +145 odds with under around -190. Six of the last eight meetings between these squads produced at least three goals, and both teams have scored in five straight Vancouver road games. Ben White (-105) is the odds-on favourite to score, but he’s gone three games without a goal. Meanwhile, Sebastian Berhalter is coming off a two-goal performance and carries +170 odds to score in Houston.
Houston Dynamo
The Dynamo are a perfect .500 this season, carrying a 6-0-6 record through 12 games – good for eighth place in the Western Conference. They had a difficult start to the season, losing four of their first six matches, but they’ve turned things around and haven’t lost at home since April 4. That home success is because of their defence; Houston’s six home matches have featured just 2.17 goals per game – fourth-fewest in the MLS.
Guilherme is Houston’s main attacking threat, as the Brazilian leads the team in goals (six) and assists (five) this season. The Dynamo only have one other player with more than two goals, as scoring has been a major issue for this squad. They’re currently averaging 1.41 goals per game and rank second-to-last in total xG produced this season at 14.45. They’ll need to score at least once if they want to get any points out of this one.
Vancouver Whitecaps
The Whitecaps finally got that road victory, and it only took me picking something other than their moneyline as my best bet. I still cashed my pick on Petar Musa to Score or Assist (-110) for FC Dallas, as Vancouver got their first road win in three tries. Not only did they finally win on the road, but they picked up their first victory this season when the opposition scored first. However, it wasn’t without drama, as they needed a brace from Sebastian Berhalter and an FC Dallas own goal to secure the 3-2 win.
Vancouver’s defence continued to struggle in the last game, and they’ve now allowed a goal in four consecutive contests. Additionally, they’ve allowed a score in nine straight away MLS matches, but they luckily have an easier matchup here. I expect them to take a conservative approach, dominate possession and slowly wear down a Houston squad that is just 1-0-3 against the other top four squads in the Western Conference this season.
MLS Prediction: Who Will Win Houston Dynamo vs. Vancouver Whitecaps?
I know I got away from this pick in the latest match, but I’m going back to the Whitecaps to win in 90 minutes. They finally pulled off a comeback win in their latest game, snapping a two-game winless streak. While the Dynamos are in a good run of form at home, their four straight wins have come against the Rapids (ninth in the West), San Diego FC (10th in the West) and two USL squads. Vancouver is a step up in class compared to those squads, and they should take all three points.
Best Bet: Vancouver Whitecaps ML (-115)
Score Prediction: Houston Dynamo 0 | Vancouver Whitecaps 2