MLS Playoffs underway as FC Dallas face defending champions Real Salt Lake: Odds and Betting Preview

The MLS post-season is underway with four play-offs, between the top two teams from each division and then four wildcards from the highest place teams in a cumulated table of east and west. Given the relative strength of the Western division over the Eastern division, all four wildcards are made up of Western division teams.

Winners of the Eastern Division New York Red Bulls will face 6th placed San Jose Earthquakes from the Eastern Division on Sunday, while the winners of the Western Division and the Supporters` Shield L.A. Galaxy will face 4th placed Seattle Sounders also from Eastern on Monday.

Thursday night Columbus Crew, the only other team from the Western Division to make it through to the play-offs,  lost 1-0 away in the first leg of their play-off against the Colorado Rapids, who finished 5th in the Eastern Division. Their second leg is a week on Saturday. This Saturday night however sees an all-eastern clash of  2nd-placed and MLS defending champions Real Salt Lake take on 3rd-placed FC Dallas.

Real Salt Lake travel to the Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas first in what some consider to be the pick of the play-offs. FC Dallas are best-priced at 6/5 (bet $5 to win $6) and they were leading the Eastern Division for much of the 2010 season, going on a 19-match unbeaten run stretching from April to October. They only lost one of their 15 games at home, but they did go down 2-0 to Real Salt Lake only a few weeks ago which put an end to their chances of winning the division.

Real Salt Lake are best-priced at 5/2 with Stan James but would undoubtedly settle for a draw to take back to Rio Tinto Stadium next Sunday and the draw is 9/4 with Bodog and Bet365

When RSL came to Dallas in the regular season, Dallas won 2-0 and you can get 9/1 wit Paddy Power for there to be a repeat 2-0 win for the Texans. Real Salt Lake have the lowest goals per game ratio of the Eastern Division this year of 2.17, while FC Dallas` ratio isn`t much higher at 2.33. You can back under 2.5 goals at 17/20 with Bet365, or alternatively over 2.5 goals at 19/20.

Two players to watch in the game are FC Dallas` David Ferreira and Real Salt Lake`s Javier Morales, who have 8 and 7 goals respectively, and many more assists, and they are good bets to be Most Valuable Player come the end of the season. Ferreira is 13/5 to score anytime during the game while Moral is 9/2 to do the same, both with Bet365. FC Dallas leading goalscorer Jeff Cunningham is 7/4 to score anytime.

The match kicks off at 1700 ET.

FC Dallas vs Real Salt Lake Match Result Odds

FC Dallas vs Real Salt Lake Over/Under Goals Odds

FC Dallas vs Real Salt Lake Correct Score Odds

FC Dallas vs Real Salt Lake Goalscorer Odds