MLS Soccer Picks: Columbus Caught Sleeping on International Break?

Columbus hosts New England in only one of two Major League soccer matches to take place this weekend. The international break has brought club soccer to a halt across the country, but MLS are using the hiatus as a make-up week for Columbus and LAFC. The two clubs were forced to postpone their domestic matches back in August after reaching the final of the Leagues Cup. Read on to access expert MLS soccer picks and explore a breakdown of New England Revolution soccer.

Major League Soccer, domestic season
Columbus Crew vs New England Revolution
October 12, 2024
7:30 PM EST
Lower.com Field
MLS Season Pass on Apple TV

MLS Soccer Picks: What do Sportsbooks Indicate?

Columbus are prohibitive favorites to win on Saturday at home. The Crew are (-249) to win and continue their unbeaten stretch in this fixture to eight games. New England are up against the odds, reaching lines as high as (+576) to win this weekend. A draw is lined at (+440).

MLS
Columbus	-249	-253	-250
New England	+576	+564	+550
Draw	+430	+425	+440

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Columbus Missing Many Key Players

The second international break of the fall season has arrived, and with it comes call-ups for national teams. Clubs who are still scheduled to compete in this two-week period must make do without players chosen to represent their countries, who are participating in either friendlies or international tournaments.

In the case of Columbus, they have been hit particularly hard by call-ups. Star player Cucho Hernandez will perform his duties with Colombia and two goalkeepers, Patrick Schulte (United States) and Nicholas Hagen (Guatemala) will also be unavailable. Defenders Mohamed Farsi (Algeria) and Steven Moreira (Cape Verde) complete the group of five missing players for Columbus.

That leaves either Evan Bush or Abraham Romero to start as goalkeeper for Columbus this weekend. Evan Bush is a 38-year-old with plenty of Major League Soccer experience, but he has played just 6 matches in the last four years. He will likely back up Abraham Romero, who got the start in Columbus’s last international break match.

But Romero was sent off in the first half for a dangerous foul on Seattle’s Jordan Morris, which forced midfielder Sean Zawadski to pick up the gloves. The Crew lost that match 4-0 at home. While another unique circumstance like that is unlikely to occur, the similarities are clear. Columbus should be wary of underestimating New England with such a short-handed roster.

Columbus To Win

-253

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New England Revolution Soccer Spiraling Downwards

New England has plummeted to the bottom of the table in 2024 after an Eastern-Conference-winning season last year. Caleb Porter and Co. have become the laughingstock of the league, a humiliating situation that likeply played a part in the manager’s tirade in his postgame press conference last weekend. Porter was particularly frustrated with the lack of penalty calls his team has received this season. While his lamentations may be valid, they are just one of many reasons why New England has been mathematically eliminated from the 18-team playoff picture with two games still in hand.

New England has been terrible on the road this season, producing very few goals and earning just 12 points through 15 games. This season will be their worst in franchise history. At this point in the year, they have nothing to play for, which could lead to some rotations in the lineup as veterans accept rest in favor of opportunities for younger players to get a chance to prove themselves.

New England To Win

+576

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MLS Soccer Picks for Columbus Crew vs New England Revolution Soccer

Neither side has any real reason to compete except for pride in this match. The Revolution are out of playoff contention, and the Columbus are locked in to the number 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. This situation will likely lead to plenty of new faces in the lineups for both teams.

That really makes the playing field closer as it is hard to justify a big favorite in an essentially meaningless game. Columbus, down to their third-string goalkeeper and without two key defenders, will be much more vulnerable at the back than usual. And without Cucho up top, Columbus will have to find someone to step up to receive set pieces.

New England has a couple players out as well but they are not nearly as instrumental in the team’s success. The Revs have nothing to lose in this match and should play with a degree of freedom they haven’t been able to enjoy as they pushed for points in the past few weeks.

We saw the Crew get demolished at home after a poor decision from keeper Abraham Romero got him sent off early. In all honesty, a similar outcome is not out of the question. While New England has lost the last two meetings, New England drew 5 and won once in the previous 6 editions of this fixture.

Betting on this match is a bit of a crapshoot. My projections have the lines pretty much accurate. But when factoring in the game situation and the international call-ups, the value must be on the Revolution. This game could go in any direction, so I like a small shot on the Revolution to win in the Draw No Bet market. Bovada has this line at (+425), so that is what I will recommend as a quarter unit play.

New England Draw No Bet

+425

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Top Sportsbooks for New England Revolution Soccer

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