Major League Soccer says goodbye to one of its most prolific strikers and continues to welcoming process for another one on Saturday.
Valentin Castellanos is likely playing his final game for New York City on Saturday night before he reportedly moves on to Girona in Spain.
Castellanos and NYCFC play at home against an Inter Miami squad that has one of the worst scoring records on the road in MLS.
Castellanos' farewell combined with NYCFC's home-field advantage make that game a perfect one to approach from different props.
Over in Columbus, Cucho Hernandez is just getting started on his quest to become the best scorer in MLS. The 23-year-old Colombian has four goals in three games and he goes up against an average New England defense at home on Saturday.
Speaking of new arrivals. Toronto FC is expected to hand debuts to Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi at home against Charlotte FC. The Reds have not been good in 2022, but the presence of their two new Italian arrivals could help them get three points against a busy Charlotte side.
Weekend MLS Picks
Overall Record: 33-30 (3-2 Last Week)
New York City FC (-1.5; +100) vs. Inter Miami (Saturday, 7 p.m. ET)
Valentin Castellanos to Score (-135)
NYCFC's Saturday match will be dedicated to Valentin Castellanos.
The 23-year-old Argentinian is reportedly off to Girona in Spain after Saturday's game and he is saying his farewell to the reigning MLS champion at Yankee Stadium.
NYCFC's attacking players should try to feed Castellanos on a regular basis so that he can celebrate his sendoff in the best possible fashion.
Castellanos enters Saturday on a four-game scoring streak. He has six goals in that span. He is facing an Inter Miami team that spent its midweek getting thumped by FC Barcelona.
Inter Miami likely would not have played well on full rest. The Herons have four road goals in 2022, the lowest of any Eastern Conference team.
Phil Neville's side has a -11 goal differential and a -4.3 expected goals differential on the road, while NYCFC owns a +18.8 xGD in home games, some of which have been played at Citi Field.
NYCFC should control the tempo on its short pitch inside Yankee Stadium, and with an extra motivated Castellanos up top, it could run away from Miami.
Columbus Crew (+135) vs. New England Revolution (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET)
Cucho Hernandez to Score (+175)
Columbus possesses the second-best home defense in the Eastern Conference.
The Crew conceded seven goals in nine home games and they have three clean sheets in their last five home matches.
New England sits on the opposite end of the road table. The Revolution allowed the second-most goals on the road with 22. They allowed two in the second half in a loss to Philadelphia last Saturday.
The Revs conceded multiple goals in eight of their 10 road trips and they let up six goals to Philadelphia and NYCFC in their last two games away from home.
Add Cucho Hernandez's blistering scoring form to this equation and you have an ideal situation for prop bets. Hernandez has four goals in three games. Cucho attempted five shots in his first start last week against Cincinnati, two of them went on target.
The combination play between Columbus' new signing and Lucas Zelarayan could tear apart the New England defense. With Cucho's prop sitting at +175, I have to take it before the league adjusts to his style of play and finds a way to stop him.
Toronto FC (+115) vs. Charlotte FC (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET)
Toronto FC has not recorded a victory since June 25 and it comes into Saturday with four losses in the last five games.
The Reds' overall form has not been great, but they will be playing with an emotional boost thanks to the expected debuts of Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi.
The Italian duo will not play the entire match, but even their presences on the bench could be a boost to Toronto's morale since it sits second-to-last in the Eastern Conference.
Bob Bradley's side also has an advantage when it comes to rest. Charlotte FC put a ton into a Wednesday friendly at home against Chelsea that went into penalty kicks.
Charlotte is 1-2-8 with a -10 goal differential on its travels in its expansion season. Charlotte conceded multiple times in four of its last six road games and every expected goals against total on the road has been 0.7 or higher.