MLS Predictions & Betting Tips

The 2023 MLS regular season comes to an end this weekend as we prepare for the Playoffs.

Despite winning the the Leagues Cup — the club’s first-ever trophy, Inter Miami are unable to go for MLS glory, as they sit second bottom of the Eastern Conference, six point behind the playoff spots with just one game remaining.

David Beckham strengthened the squad with the signings of former Barcelona trio Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, but they will have to wait till next season to add to their Leagues Cup success.

Montreal and DC United currently occupy the Final Series Playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, while Dallas and San Jose Earthquakes sit in those spots in the Western Conference. However, New York Red Bulls, Chicago Fire, Charlotte FC, New York City, Sporting Kansas City and Minnesota United could all take it from them in the final matches of the regular season.

The two sides who finish 8th and the two sides who finish 9th will then go into the wild card round where the 8th place side from the Eastern Conference will face the 9th place side in the Western Conference and vise-versa. The winner of the Eastern Conference wild card round will then face FC Cincinnati, while the winner of the Western Conference wild card round will face St. Louis City in Round One of the playoffs.

When do you release your MLS predictions?

Our MLS experts look to collate the data, check the team news and form and make their selections around 48 hours before kick-off. This time frame may change however, due to fixture congestion for example.

We have you covered for every kind of bet imaginable in MLS, from outright tips at the start of the season all the way through to the best accumulators and multiples. We will also provide tips for individual matches on a week-to-week basis.

Today’s MLS betting tips

If you’re looking for the very best tips and predictions for MLS, this is your best landing page. We will look to get our tips live prior to matchday, so check here to find the best bets and deals available, keeping you prepared throughout a busy season of action in North America.

MLS in-play betting tips

Although it’s been a possibility to place mid-match bets for some time now, the introduction of mobile betting apps has given the punter so many opportunities when it comes to in-play betting, with odds changing in play to reflect the action happening out on the field. As a result, in-play markets are now more popular than ever before.

And with the markets that are available during the game now, plus the ability to cash-out on your bet to relieve the anxiety of waiting for the full-time whistle, the options for MLS in-play betting are more varied than ever.
MLS can often be more dramatic and end-to-end than any other top-flight league in the world, so in-play betting can be a great way to get in on the action, whether that be backing an in-form striker to score, or predicting two big offensive units to rack up the goals. Red cards are also never off the table in MLS.

Full Time Results

Still the most popular bet among punters, the full-time result bet is exactly what it says on the tin. You’re betting on which team will come out on top at full-time, or the draw of course. This is different from a correct score bet, when you’re betting on the actual scoreline at full-time rather than the outcome. These are often combined for an MLS accumulator bet.

Both Teams to Score

Much like the full-time result market, the both teams to score market remains popular among multiple backers as you can get great value on four or five selections from the same market. For your MLS BTTS bet, you want to check the high-scoring and high-conceding teams in the league. In the 2020 regular season, LAFC were the league’s highest-scoring team with 47 goals in just 22 games. With each team only allowed to pay three Designated Players over their salary cap, defences are often neglected, leading to entertaining, high-scoring affairs. Betfair are one of the bookmakers worth considering for this kind of bet.

To Score a Header

The options for betting on goalscorers are not just limited to which players will score or which player will open the scoring – but you can bet on the method that teams and players will find the net, including with a header. Jaroslaw Niezgoda was lethal in the air last season, scoring four of his seven goals with his head, while Jeremy Ebobisse and Robert Beric netted three headers each.

Player Total Shots

You’ll find plenty of player stats bets right here on Squawka Bet – after all, if we’re known for anything around here it’s our love of stats. And if we can take advantage of markets such as Player Total shots, then all the better.

Who are the best players to watch out for in this particular metric? NYCFC’s Valentin Castellanos had more shots than any other player in MLS last season (75) while, rather unsurprisingly, Golden Boot winner Diego Rossi was second with 71.

Player Total Tackles

Another popular market right now is trying to predict how many tackles an individual player will make in a match. In MLS, San Jose’s Judson was the master here last season with a league-high 54, while you can never go too far wrong with Diego Chara of Portland Timbers, who remains one of the best defensive midfielders in North America.

Bookings

And there are now a raft of markets available when it comes to betting on fouls, yellow cards and red cards in MLS fixtures. You can bet on how many cards will be shown in a game, or on a specific player to receive a booking. Again, it’s holding midfielders like Chara, Judson and newly-named Austin FC captain Alex Ring who will dominate the market here.

Player Offsides

You can even bet on a player to be caught offside a certain amount of times in a match now, which is worth backing if your chosen player is playing against opponents who play a high line and look for the offside trap. NYCFC were caught offside 67 times last year, more than any other MLS team. Castellanos was responsible for 15 of those offsides.

Corners Taken

Much like the card bets, corners markets have expanded in terms of variety and popularity in the last few seasons and now you can bet on how many corners each team will win during the game, how many total corners will be awarded and which team will win more. Teams with strong aerial presences such as Chicago Fire and Portland Timbers may look to maximise their set-piece potential in 2022.

VAR Specials

VAR has been in operation in MLS since 2017. It has its awkward moments but, on the whole, is generally received much better than it is in the Premier League. Many bookmakers will often offer up some VAR specials on the campaign or on specific matches, it’s worth checking out what markets are available with different brands.

This Week’s MLS Predictions

Most MLS matches take place over the course of a weekend, with Sky Sports and Freesports usually sharing a selection of games for live broadcast between them. Games are often spread out due to the time zones involved in the United States and Canada, and this is great for punters as you can keep up on every game where we have posted our MLS predictions if you’ve placed a multiple bet, or you can keep checking back before each match to find out what our tips are for each fixture.

We’ll also have tips ready for any mid-week matches if you’re looking for the weekly tips in advance. MLS’s midweek encounters are well-known for their goals and are usually some of the most entertaining matches available.

Priceboosts

Looking for some betting inspiration ahead of matchday? Or already settled on your bet but looking for a better price before kick-off? Many bookmakers often offer pre-match price boosts and specials before specific games and there are also occasionally enhanced multiples available ahead of the weekend’s fixtures. Plenty of bookmakers offer these on MLS.

MLS Accumulator

What’s an accumulator bet I hear you ask? Well, an accumulator is when you combine selections from different matches to create a multiple bet at longer odds. These can all be bets from the same markets (Over 2.5 goals and Win-Draw-Win are particularly popular) or you can select from different markets on the same bet.

We usually have tips from several, varied markets to be used on the weekend’s football, so you may want to combine these for your MLS accumulator bet. Don’t forget that it’s always worth checking which bookmakers are offering the best MLS odds as this is even more relevant when looking for value by combining odds from several different bets.
With 27 teams across the two conferences this year, there won’t be a shortage of interesting combinations available.

Best bookmakers for MLS

There are so many different things to consider when choosing your favourite bookmaker to place your MLS bets with. For example – which bookmaker offers the best value, do they have an easy-to-use mobile app and, indeed, are there any free bets available upon sign-up?
Every bookmaker worth their salt will offer odds on every MLS game throughout their season, so you shouldn’t have a problem in finding the right sportsbook, with the right mix of price boosts, free bets and their layout.

Even more impressive is that some bookmakers offer the chance to watch and bet on matches inplay with MLS live streaming services. This gives punters the chance to watch the action unfold and place their bets accordingly during the game. Watching the game live is also a great way to familiarise yourself with MLS to help your selections down the line.

• Bet365
• Sky Bet
• BetMGM
• Midnite
• BetUK

Which other competitions do you offer tips for?

We’re not just here to offer MLS betting tips and our Squawka football experts scour the most popular leagues all over the world to find the best value. Our expertise covers the major European leagues as well as the English football league and domestic cup competitions, UEFA’s continental club tournaments and even international fixtures.

See our pages for tips on the biggest footballing leagues across the globe:

• Champions League
• Europa League
• FA Cup
• League Cup
• Europa League
• Bundesliga
• Serie A
• League One
• League Two
• Championship
• Nations League

MLS offers and free bets

Before you get started, are you looking for some MLS free bets, enhanced odds and price boosts? Some bookmakers will offerprice boosts for big games such as the LA derby and Atlanta United vs Orlando City, but almost all of them will offer the opportunity to earn a sign-up bonus upon registration which tends to include free bets but can be different with each sportsbook.

Beyond the new customer offers and sign-up bonuses, you will also find price boosts for all customers if you check at the correct times ahead of kick-off. This is often the best opportunity to get the best value on your match bet.