Philadelphia Union vs. Mazatlán: Leagues Cup Quarterfinals Preview

The Leagues Cup reaches its quarterfinal stage where two Mexicans remain, one of them Mazatlán, who will face Philadelphia Union for a place among the four best teams in the tournament.

The Union is coming off a 4-2 win over Cincinnati, one of the best teams in MLS.

Meanwhile, the Cañoneros surprised and eliminated Cruz Azul, the undefeated leader of the Mexican league, after a 2-2 draw and a 3-1 win on penalties.

Philadelphia Union vs. Mazatlán Betting Odds and Info

Why Bet on the Philadelphia Union?

Philadelphia Union has not been doing well in the MLS, but in the Leagues Cup, they are already in the quarterfinals. In the group stage, they came first by eliminating Charlotte and then beat Montreal (2-0) and Cincinnati (4-2).

Precisely against the Orange and Blue, second in the Eastern Conference in MLS, they won away at the TQL Stadium. There were six goals, but all in the second half. Mikael Uhre, after a great pass from Dániel Gazdag, and Tai Baribo, with a great shot from outside the box, made it 2-0 for the Union.

After that, they went on the defensive and saw Cincinnati draw with goals from Pavel Bucha and DeAndre Yedlin. But Philadelphia bounced back quickly, and a minute after the equalizer, they were back on top with another fine goal from Baribo. Three minutes later, Quinn Sullivan put the game to bed.

Despite the result, Jim Curtin’s team has to improve in defense, as goalkeeper Andre Blake was one of the stars with six saves. What is worth noting is that the team is undefeated in the tournament with three wins and a draw, in addition to the fact that in its last two MLS games, it also won, making six matches without defeat.

Why Bet on Mazatlán?

The big surprise in these quarterfinals is Mazatlán. The Mexican team, one of the worst in the Mexican league, first eliminated Nashville in the group stage and then DC United and Cruz Azul, leader of the Apertura MX.

Against the Máquina, Los Cañoneros took the lead in the last minutes of the first half with goals by Bryan Colula with a header and Yoel Bárcenas, who only pushed the ball after a good definition by Jordan Sierra.

In the second half, Cruz Azul was down a man due to Gonzalo Piovi’s red card at 49′, but that did not prevent them from equalizing at the end with goals by Uriel Antuna at 84′ and Willer Ditta at 90+1′.

In the penalty shootout, goalkeeper Ricardo Gutiérrez was the star player, saving the penalty kicks of the two men who had scored against him. In addition, Giorgos Giakoumakis’ shot hit the post. It was 3-1.

Mazatlán, who in the Mexican league has only one point in four games and scored two goals, is now making history in the Leagues Cup and does not want to stop, but must improve a lot.

Something to keep in mind is that both in this game and the last one against DC United, they have benefited from a red card for the rival, as the North American team suffered the sent-off of Jared Stroud in the 27th minute when they were 0-0.

Final Betting Analysis: Philadelphia Union vs. Mazatlán

This will be the first time that these two teams meet.

The numbers at Gambyl Exchange have Philadelphia Union as the favorite. Their Moneyline shows 1.75, Mazatlán has 4.33, and the draw is at 3.90.

It was not the series that everyone expected, but that’s the way it is. It was a surprise that both qualified. However, Philadelphia Union has had a better season than its rival and is at home, so we believe it will win and qualify after a 2-1.

Go for a win for the Philadelphia Union. If you bet $100 at 1.75 you will gain $75 for a total payout of $175.

Philadelphia Union vs. Mazatlán Betting Odds: Philadelphia Union