» Soccer Picks » Columbus Crew vs New York City FC MLS Picks & Predictions 8/21/2019

Columbus Crew vs New York City FC MLS Picks & Predictions 8/21/2019

by Tony Sink - 8/20/2019

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Yankee Stadium

Valentin Castellanos and New York City FC (11-8-5, 3rd in the Eastern Conference) host the Columbus Crew (7-6-14, 11th in the Eastern Conference) at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, August 21, 2019. The expected starting goalkeepers are Eloy Room for the Columbus Crew and Sean Johnson for New York City FC. The line on this game has the Columbus Crew coming in at +540 and NYCFC is at -230. The total opens at 3.

The Columbus Crew step onto the pitch with a mark of 7 wins, 6 draws, and 14 losses which is good for 11th in the Eastern Conference. During the year thus far, they have converted a total of 28 goals which puts them at 11th in the conference and 22nd in the league. This means that if they are going to get away with the victory in this game, they will want to step up the defense and make sure they are making their opponents work. Their goal differential is -12, which is good for 22nd in the league. The Columbus Crew will look to share the ball with their teammates to get the opposition out of place because they currently have a total of 21 assists which puts them at 22nd in the league and 11th in the conference. With regard to shots on target, they currently have a total of 89 which puts them at 12th in the conference and 24th in the league. As a group, Columbus has earned a total of 324 fouls which means they are averaging 12 fouls per game. They currently have a total of 27 points for the 2019 season and they are averaging an attendance of 14,384.

Gyasi Zardes is one of the best players to watch for the Crew. The forward from the United States has appeared in 22 games this year and has played a total of 1,947 minutes. During that period of time, the 27-year-old has racked up 9 goals and has had an assist on 2 goals. He is currently averaging 89 mins per game. Zardes has started 22 games this year and has racked up 19 fouls over that period. In the matter of shots on target, Zardes has produced 18 which places him at 42nd in MLS and 8th in the East among forwards. Pedro Santos is another scorer to watch out for on the squad from Columbus. The 30-year-old from Portugal has a total of 9 goals for the year which is 4th in the Eastern Conference among midfielders and 24th among all qualified players in Major League Soccer. He has totaled 2,181 mins and averages 84 minutes per appearance which is 119th in Major League Soccer. For the season, he has a total of 17 shots on target which is 15th in the Eastern Conference among midfielders.

Protecting the net for the Crew is Eloy Room from the Netherlands. He is 29 years old and has totaled 450 minutes minding the goal for the year. Room is conceding an average of 1.60 goals per 90 mins which has him placed 16th among Eastern Conference goalies and 27th in MLS. Over the course of the 2019 campaign, he's surrendered 8 goals. He holds a save percentage of .500 which has him placed 25th among Eastern Conference goalies.

New York City FC comes into this game with a mark of 11 wins, 8 draws, and 5 defeats putting them at 3rd in the Eastern Conference. So far this year, they have scored a total of 45 goals which has them sitting at 2nd in the East and 3rd in the league. This means that if they are going to get the win in this game, they are going to want to put the pressure on the opposition. Their goal differential is +13, putting them at 3rd in the league. New York City FC will look to make sure they are sharing the ball because they have a total of 33 assists which has them sitting at 3rd in the league and 2nd in the East. In terms of shots on target, they have a total of 139 which has them sitting at 2nd in the East and 4th in the league. As a unit, New York City has compiled a total of 335 fouls which means they have an average of 13.96 fouls per contest. They have a total of 41 points for the season and they have an average crowd of 20,420.

Valentin Castellanos is one of the players to keep an eye on for NYCFC. The midfielder from Argentina has appeared in 21 contests this year and has totaled 1,267 mins. Over the course of that time, the 20-year-old has tallied 9 goals and has had an assist on 4 goals. He holds an average of 60 minutes per appearance. Castellanos has started 14 contests this year and has a total of 29 fouls over that period. Regarding shots on target, Castellanos has 23 which is 20th in the league and 5th in the Eastern Conference among midfielders. Héber is another scorer to keep an eye on for the team from New York City. The 27-year-old from Brazil has connected on 12 goals this year which has him ranking 2nd in the East among forwards and 5th among all players in MLS. He has totaled 1,267 mins and averages 75 mins per appearance which has him ranking 218th in MLS. For this year, he has 22 shots on target which has him ranking 5th in the East among forwards.

In net for NYCFC is Sean Johnson from the United States. He is 29 years old and has played 1,800 mins defending the net this year. Johnson is allowing an average of 1.35 goals per 90 minutes which ranks him 9th in the East and 14th among goalies in MLS. So far this season, he has given up 27 goals. He has a save percentage of .620 which ranks him 15th in the East.

Who will win tonight's MLS game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take Columbus (+540)

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Pick:	KANSAS CITY CHIEFS -5.5
Start:	December 15, 2024 @ 1:00 PM
Expert:	Doc's Sports

Analysis:

Free Play from Doc’s Sports. Take #465 Kansas City Chiefs -5.5 over Cleveland Browns (1p.m., Sunday, December 15 CBS) The Chiefs keep winning games and sooner or later one of those wins will come by a comfortable margin. I look for that to be this Sunday against a Browns team that is just playing out the string. Cleveland currently sits at 3- 10 and will enter this game having lost 4 of their last 5 games. Their only win came against Pittsburgh in a snow game on a short week. All 4 of those losses by the Browns have come over the posted number for this game. Kansas City is better on both sides of the football, and I just do not see the Browns offense keeping pace. Do not miss out on Doc’s Sports Weekend card featuring top plays in basketball, football, and hockey. We will feature our World-Famous Nonconference Game of the Year in College Basketball on Saturday. This game has won 13 of the 15 years it has been in existence and it is a must have for any big game hunter. Read More Read Less

Columbus Crew vs New York City FC MLS Picks & Predictions 8/21/2019

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