Free MLS Pick Columbus Crew vs. Real Salt Lake
Looking for Columbus Crew vs. Real Salt Lake free picks? MLS betting sees Columbus Crew taking on Real Salt Lake Saturday June 25 at Rio Tinto Stadium. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all MLS soccer matchups all season long so stay tuned for more FREE MLS predictions.
MLS Handicapping
Columbus Crew vs. Real Salt Lake
Date: Saturday June 25
Time: 08:00 PM
Venue: Rio Tinto Stadium
MLS Moneyline Odds: Columbus Crew -117 / Draw 278/ Real Salt Lake 341 (Bet Now!)
MLS Spread Betting Odds: Columbus -0.5 / Salt Lake City 0.5
MLS Betting Total: O/U 2.5
Heading into this matchup, the Columbus Crew are the betting favorites, with spread set at -0.5 goals. Through 14 matches, they have won by this margin 4 times. As for the Real Salt Lake, they enter the match as 0.5-goal underdogs. Through 16 matches, they have covered this margin 12 times.
Columbus Crew
Heading into the Columbus Crew 15th game of the season, the team is below .500 at 4-5-5. This mark places them 11th in the Eastern Conference. Columbus comes into this match off having played to a 1-1 draw against Charlotte FC. So far, the Columbus Crew have turned in 6 performances with one goal or less. On defense, Columbus has played 3 games in which they held their opponent to one goal or less.
So far, the Columbus Crew are the 20th-rated scoring team, averaging 1.29 goals per 90 minutes of action. Defensively, Columbus is off to a good start, ranking 4th in scoring defense. So far, the team is giving up an average of just 1.14 goals per 90 minutes.
Heading into the match, Lucas Zelarayán leads the Crew with 4 goals through 11 matches. Behind him is Derrick Etienne, who has also found the net 3 times. This season, Columbus Crew has turned to Eloy Room as their primary goalie. In his 14 starts, he has a save percentage of 72.5%, 9th best in the MLS. This has come with opponents taking 51 shots on target.
Real Salt Lake
The Real Salt Lake will host the Columbus Crew, with an above .500 record, at 8-4-4. This mark places them 2nd in the Western Conference. Salt Lake City comes into the game following a 2-0 win over San Jose. For the season, the Real Salt Lake have finished 7 matches having scored at least two goals. On defense, they picked up their 6th shutout of the year.
So far, the Real Salt Lake is the 13th rated scoring team, averaging 1.25 goals per 90 minutes of action. In terms of defense, Salt Lake City is near the MLS average, giving up 1.19 goals per 90 minutes (14th).
Heading into the match, Bobby Wood leads the Salt Lake with 3 goals through 14 matches. Behind him is Justen Glad, who has also found the net 3 times. In terms of goalie play, Real Salt Lake has gotten good performances from Zac MacMath. On the season, opposing teams have accumulated 77 shots on target, in which MacMath has turned home at a rate of 79.2%. This percentage is good for 2nd in the MLS.
Free Columbus Crew vs. Real Salt Lake MLS Final Analysis:
When looking at how each team has fared while possessing the ball, the Columbus Crew have been the better squad at generating opportunites near their opponent’s goal. So far, Columbus ranks 6th in attacking area touches. This compares favorably to the Real Salt Lake sitting at 15th in the MLS. In addition to putting pressure on opposing defenses, Columbus has also done a good job keeping their opponents out of the attacking zone, allowing just 1864 possessions in their 3rd of the field (1st). Salt Lake City will be looking to improve their defensive play, as opposing teams have had no problem generating looks near the goal, ranking 17th in attacking possessions allowed.
On offense, Columbus Crew has been able to generate shots at a higher rate than Real Salt Lake. So far, Columbus Crew ranks 11th in shots taken compared to Real Salt Lake at 18th. For the year, Columbus Crew has turned 10.0% of their shot into goals. As for Real Salt Lake, their current shooting percentage is 11.0%. So far, 27.1% of Columbus Crew’s shots have been on target. On the other side, Real Salt Lake has a season long on target percent of 35.0%. For Columbus Crew, they have converted on 35.0% of these on-target shots compared to Real Salt Lake at 30.0%.
4* Free MLS Betting Pick Columbus Moneyline:
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