MLS Predictions & Betting Tips

The 2024 MLS season is finally here and all eyes turn to one of the fastest growing leagues in world football.

Columbus Crew were crowned champions last season, picking up their third MLS title with a 2-1 victory over Los Angeles FC in the MLS Cup final in December.

The side that garners the mosts attention is Inter Miami, with the David Beckham-backed side possessing the skills or Sergio Busquets, Luis Suarez and, of course, Lionel Messi.

Inter Miami may lead the betting market but they’ll face stiff competition from the likes of LAFC, Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati, who won the Supporters’ Shield last season.

This is the first season since 2016 where a new team hasn’t joined the league, leaving 29 teams to be split across the Western and Eastern Conference. Next season will see San Diego FC will join the league but, for now, 15 teams will enter the Eastern Conference and 14 will be assigned to the Western Conference.

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 2023 regular season, Columbus Crew were the league’s highest-scoring team with 67 goals in just 34 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.

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? Columbus Crew’s Cucho had more shots than any other player in MLS last season (165) while, rather unsurprisingly, Golden Boot winner Denis Bouanga was second with 137.

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, FC Cincinnati’s Obinna Nwobodo was the master here last season with a league-high 62, while you can never go too far wrong with Mark Kaye of New England, who remains one of the best 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 defensive players like Andres Reyes, Franco Escobar and Derrick Jones 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. A familiar face was caught offside the most last season, with Christian Benteke being penalised 37 times.

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 2024.

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.