LAFC vs. Austin FC, Prediction, Preview, Odds - 4/17/21
Austin FC will become the next MLS expansion team to take the field when it opens its inaugural season on Saturday. The club was founded in 2018 and will compete as a member of the Western Conference. It’s not going to be an easy opener for the expansion club, as they will face preseason title favorite LAFC in this match.
Austin FC will be Underdogs early on
Austin FC will be the first top-division major professional sports team in the Austin area. The city used to be home to Austin Aztex FC, which ended up becoming MLS team Orlando City SC. Austin opens its first season ranked No. 21 in the MLS.com preseason power rankings. There have been multiple expansion teams in the league over the last few years, so there were plenty of examples for Austin to look towards. They are expected to be competitive in their first season under head coach Josh Wolff. The club has plenty of funding from co-owner Matthew McConaughey.
Their roster is a mix of proven MLS players and some imports from outside the country. Austin also left one more Designated Player spot open, which is expected to be filled once they get a feel for their roster as the season goes along. Their first DP is forward Cecilio Dominguez, who has played for Club America and Independiente. He is expected to be a left-winger. Midfielders Tomas Pochettino and Alexander Ring are going to be key players in the starting lineup as well. There are plenty of solid pieces on the team, but they do lack a proven top-level goal-scorer at center forward.
LAFC is the Favorite to win the MLS Cup
LAFC enters the 2021 season as the favorite to lift the MLS Cup trophy at 5/1 odds. Defending champion Columbus Crew SC is slightly behind them at 6/1. LAFC is entering its fourth MLS season, finishing 9-8-5 in the shortened 2020 season. This is the second consecutive year that it is opening the season against an expansion club. LAFC is 3-0-0 all-time in home openers, picking up wins over Inter Miami CF, Sporting Kansas City and Seattle Sounders. The club finished seventh in the Western Conference standings last season, but they set a regular-season record with a 21-4-9 mark two years ago.
It was without star Carlos Vela for most of the 2020 season with an injury. They were also down Diego Rossi and Brian Rodriguez during the playoffs. Vela is back after making just four starts in 2020. He has 52 goals and 29 assists in 66 total MLS matches. Rossi scored an MLS-best 14 goals last season, winning the Golden Boot in Vela’s absence. He is expected to be playing in Europe in the future, but he is with LAFC for now. The club also has midfielder Eduard Atuesta, who is one of the young blossoming players in the MLS.
Spread (Austin FC +1.5)
LAFC’s core has not played together in a long time due to various injuries really hampering them in 2020. They are reportedly healthy heading into the 2021 season, but there are also some question marks due to all of those setbacks. Austin FC is not going to light up the scoreboard in its inaugural season in the MLS, but it has quality players at many key positions. LAFC is going to take the brunt of the public betting action due to name recognition, but I like Austin FC to make them work for points in this match.
Total (Under 3)
Austin FC knows it has one route to success in this match. It must control possession and keep the ball away from LAFC’s dominant attack. Austin is lacking a significant goal-scoring option, so this is shaping up to be a low-scoring match. It has a nice presence in midfield and has solid defensive players as well. LAFC is hoping its offense returns to its 2019 form after all of the injuries it dealt with last year, but I think that could take some time. No one is going to argue that the talent is not there, but the chemistry could take a little bit of time to re-find its form.
