Columbus Crew vs FC Dallas Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - MLS

FC Dallas are at home behind the hottest finisher in the Western Conference, and Columbus arrives in Frisco scoring freely but defending its travels poorly. The night rewards the side that trusts its attack, and only one of these teams has been doing that in both boxes.

The Matchup

This one pairs the league's most in-form striker against a defense that travels badly, and that is the whole shape of the night. Petar Musa has 22 goals this season and scored twice late in Dallas's 3-0 win over San Jose on Saturday, an 83rd-minute curler and a penalty five minutes later that moved Dallas into second place in the West.

Columbus concedes 2 goals per game on the road, 30 in 15 away matches, and a side that leaks at that rate cannot sit in Frisco and wait. The Crew have to play, because their away record of 3 wins, 3 draws and 9 losses says passive trips end in defeats.

Neither club has named its side yet. The expectation is Musa leading the line in the 3-4-2-1 Dallas used on Saturday, with Bernard Kamungo, who created the most chances of anyone on the field against San Jose and set up Musa's opener, wide on the left.

Columbus is expected to keep the 4-4-2 it used against Toronto, with Taha Habroune leading the line and Dylan Chambost, the MLS Player of the Matchday for Matchday 32, in midfield. Dallas winger Sam Sarver is already ruled out, suspended after a red card, but he is a rotation piece and his absence does not change how either team sets up.

Key Factors

Dallas at home is a different proposition from Dallas anywhere else. The club is unbeaten in five at Toyota Stadium and went 8 wins, 5 draws and 2 losses there this season, scoring 29 times. The attack is not a one-man show either. Logan Farrington has 10 goals this season, so Columbus cannot simply double Musa and dare the rest to beat them, and Dallas kept a clean sheet in each of its last three home games.

The honest counterpoint is that Columbus is playing its best soccer of the season right now. The Crew have won four of their last five, scored 13 goals across those five games, and won 2-0 at FC Cincinnati on October 18, so this is no soft road underdog. If Columbus scores first and forces Dallas to chase, the home side's patience gets tested in a way San Jose never tested it.

But Columbus's surge has come with goals at both ends, 4-2 against Toronto and a 3-2 loss at Orlando in that same stretch, and an open game in Frisco suits the team with Musa in it far more than the team trying to mark him. The home edge also tilts toward the host, and Frisco has become a hard place to visit.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.