San Jose Earthquakes’ odds for MLS is Back Tournament are pretty good

The MLS is Back Tournament is approaching, the San Jose Earthquakes are headed to Orlando on Wednesday (stay safe!) and now the opening odds for the competition are out.

And the picture is pretty favorable for the San Jose Earthquakes, who come as 10th favorites, per DraftKings Sportsbook’s opening odds. Their line of +1800 ranks ahead of bitter California Clasico rival LA Galaxy.

I’m surprised they are ranked this high, both because recent form in league play hasn’t been stellar and because they have trained far less as a team together than literally any other team in the league since teams began to emerge from the coronavirus shutdown. Having said that, I think Matias Almeyda’s track record as a successful coach in the tournament format, both in the Liga MX playoffs, the Copa MX and the Concacaf Champions League, is giving the Quakes a boost. Add to that, San Jose’s style of play is meant to disrupt opponents and that could be perfect for a short tournament like this one.

The overall favorite coming in according to DraftKings is LAFC, at a low, low +350, while the long shots are deemed to be FC Cincinnati and Nashville SC, both at +8000.

Will the Quakes make a deep run? Can they show they are indeed tournament specialists? Time will tell, but we may see for ourselves in a matter of weeks.

What do you think? Leave a comment below.