MLS Predictions & Betting tips

Find our free MLS prediction on the 2023 Major League Soccer (MLS) season. Here is all the information you need for your sports betting!

MLS presentation - Soccer

Major League Soccer is the football championship of the United States. Each season, the best American franchises try to win the MLS Cup, the trophy awarded to the US champion. As with most American competitions, including the highly regarded NBA, the competition is played first in the form of a regular season (two conferences), followed by the play-offs. At the end of the competition, the final between the Eastern and Western Conference champions is then held, crowning the US champion team. To bet on the MLS in 2023, go directly to Bet365, one of the best sites for Major League Soccer. Sign up by clicking the link on this page to receive a great bonus.

The MLS is a championship that is evolving more and more in recent years. Football, or "soccer" as it's called there, was clearly not one of the top sports played and watched in the US until a few years ago. But that is not the case today, and the sport is becoming much more democratic. It's a league that mixes youth and experience, with many stars finishing their careers in this country. David Beckham, Blaise Matuidi, David Villa, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Didier Drogba, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Kaka, Pirlo, Nani, Thierry Henry  and most recently Gareth Bale all have played in the MLS. With franchises that are now very well known in Europe such as New York City, Toronto, Orlando, the New York Red Bulls, the Los Angeles Galaxy and Inter Miami (a club created by David Beckham),

Format of the 2023 MLS Season

There will be 29 clubs taking part in the 2023 MLS season. New to the MLS are St Louis City who will be playing in the Western Conference. Nashville will now play in the Eastern Conference which will have 15 clubs this season with 14 in the Western Conference.

The winners of each Conference go into the play-off quarter finals. The next six teams in each conference face each other in the 1/8 finals to determine the three other quarter finalists. The winners of the Conference finals meet in the MLS Cup final.

Dates for Your Diary

February 25 - MLS main season begins

July 21 to August 19 - Break for Leagues Cup

October 21 -  End of main season followed by play-offs

There are international breaks scheduled in both June and September. However, 14 MLS clubs have indicated that they will carry on playing during these breaks.

Check out the MLS odds at Bet365

MLS: the stats to know

The 2022 MLS season saw the Eastern Conference won by Philadelphia Union who finished two points ahead of Montreal. In the Western Conference, Los Angeles FC finished 11 points clear of Austin FC. The play-offs then took place and it was Los Angeles FC who won the MLS Cup. They beat Philadelphia in a penalty shootout after a 3-3 draw.

Eastern Conference Stats

Philadelphia Union were the top scorers with 72 goals in their 34 main season matches. FC Cincinnati were the second highest scorers with 64 goals scored. Every team in the Eastern Conference averaged at least a goal a game. Bottom-of-the-table DC United (now managed by Wayne Rooney) only just managed that with 36 goals in 34 games. The best defence belonged to Philadelphia Union with only 25 goals conceded in the main season. DC United had the worst defence conceding 71 goals.

When it came to over 2.5 goals being scored, Atlanta had the most with 25 games, followed by Montreal on 24. Only three teams had more games with under 2.5 goals scored in them than over 2.5. New York Red Bulls saw 20 of their 34 main season games have under 2.5 goals scored. 

The best home record belonged to Philadelphia with 41 points earned, seven more than any other side. On the road, Montreal had the best record with 35 points. That was nine more than Philadelphia Union won in away main season games. The worst home record belonged to DC United with 16 points, while the worst away performance was by Toronto FC who only won two games and earned 10 points.

Western Conference Stats

Los Angeles FC were the top scorers in the main season with 66 goals, one ahead of Nashville. San Jose Earthquakes finished bottom of the conference but were the fifth highest goal scorers. Only the top five teams in the league ended the main season with a positive goal difference. The lowest scorers were Vancouver Whitecaps with only 40 goals scored in the main season. The top home goal scorers were Austin FC hitting the back of the net on 42 occasions. Houston Dynamos only scored 24 home goals. On the road, Los Angeles FC were the top scorers with 27 goals, while Vancouver managed just 15. Real Salt Lake City were the only other side to average less than one goal a game on the road.

In the 2.5 goals market, it was Houston Dynamo who had the most games with over 2.5 goals being scored. That came up in 24 of their 34 main season games. FC Dallas had the most main season league game with under 2.5 goals scored. 18 of their 34 games had under 2.5 goals scored in them and they were the only side who had more games with under 2.5 goals than over.

Los Angeles Galaxy had 10 games in which they led at both half and full time. However, they also played 10 main season games in which they trailed at half time and were still losing at full time. .San Jose Earthquakes only had four games in which they led at half and full time. Vancouver Whitecaps were behind at half and full time in 12 matches. The top scorer in the MLS 2022 main season was the Nashville striker Hany Mukhtar with 23 goals and he also had 11 assists. Next on the list were Daniel Gazdag (Philadelphia) and Sebastian Driussi (FC Austin) both with 22 goals. 

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How to predict MLS Regular Matches?

The numbers and statistics listed above are very important, but they are obviously not the whole story when it comes to betting on MLS. It is also imperative to be aware of all the parameters that need to be taken into account. First, and probably most important, is to analyse the form of the key players who are about to play in the match you wish to bet on. In the United States more than anywhere else, and in almost all sports, we talk about the "franchise player", i.e. the most important player in a team. Sometimes there can be more than one, and it is then necessary to identify them. Their last performances and their current form will be decisive for your predictions. For example, if Sebastian Driussi of Austin FC was absent. 

Secondly, it will also be very important to be aware of the real stakes of the match you are about to bet on. For example, if a club has already qualified for the playoffs at the end of the season, but can no longer play for first place, then they could afford to rest some of their players in order to be fresh for the second half of the season. The same goes for a club that can no longer qualify for the playoffs, and will have nothing left to play for at the end of the season, and could probably play the last few games without being 100% focused. Before betting on the US Soccer Championship, it is necessary to take a good look at the official standings, and see what real stakes a team still has for its season. There is, for example, no relegation, so there is no real pressure on the bottom teams.

Finally, and this will have a direct impact on your net winnings, we strongly advise you to compare the odds offered by the different bookmakers before placing a bet. It often happens that there is a big difference between two bookmakers for the same type of bet. For example, if New York City are hosting LA Galaxy, Bwin may have odds of 1.5 on a home win but William Hill only 1.44.  At first glance, it may not seem like a big deal to you. But in the long run, the difference can be remarkable. We therefore advise you to register with as many bookmakers as possible in order to guarantee you the best odds on the market. And, on top of that, you can take advantage of the great welcome bonuses offered by the different sports betting sites!

Make your MLS selections at VBET

How to bet on the MLS standings

In addition to betting on the matches, you also have the opportunity to predict the final ranking of this MLS. This type of betting will allow you to build up profits in the long term, another way of betting on a single match! For example, you can bet on which club will finish first in each conference, and therefore qualify directly for the playoffs, or which teams will get their playoff spots (in order to reach the finals), from second to seventh place.

In order to make a successful MLS prediction, there are obviously a number of parameters that need to be known and taken into account, such as the real motivation of the clubs to play in the playoffs. Knowing the quality of the substitutes' bench or the performance of the youth teams will be of great importance in order to be able to make long-term predictions. Now there is no relegation in the MLS so teams down the bottom with no chance to make the play-offs may experiment with their line-ups.

MLS: discover the best odds at VBET!

American MLS 2023: our free betting tips

Los Angeles FC are the favourites to win the MLS Cup in 2023. They will be hit by the sudden retirement of Gareth Bale but have a strong squad and can overcome that. Philadelphia Union are expected to again push them hard with LA Galaxy also looking to bring back the glory days.

Check out the MLS markets at William Hill

Bookmaker odds for the title

Do you want to bet on the future champion of the United States, for the 2023 season? Here are the best odds offered by the different sports betting sites to win the MLS Cup.

• Los Angeles FC, odds of 6.50
• Philadelphia Union, odds of 7.00
• Austin FC, odds of 8.00
• LA Galaxy, odds of 9.00
• New York City, odds of 9.00
• Nashville,odds of 10.00
• Seattle Sounders, odds of 12.00
• New England Revolution, odds of 13.00
• Portland, odds of 17.00
• New York Red Bulls, odds of 19.00
• Inter Miami,odds of 21.00
• FC Cincinnati, odds of 21.00
• Toronto, odds of 21.00
• Sporting Kansas City, odds of 21.00
• FC Dallas, odds of 26.00
• Atlanta, odds of 26.00
• Minnesota United, odds of 29.00
• DC United, odds of 34.00
• Orlando, odds of 34.00
• Columbus Crew, odds of 41.00
• Houston Dynamos, odds of 41.00
• Montreal,odds of 49.00
• Real Salt Lake, odds of 51.00
• Chicago, odds of 51.00
• Colorado Rapids,odds of 61.00
• Vancouver Whitecaps, odds of 67.00
• Charlotte, odds of 81.00
• St Louis City, odds of 81.00
• San Jose Earthquakes, odds of 81.00

Odds taken from bet365.com and unibet.co.uk.

Our current MLS previews

There are no previews at the moment for this competition

MLS: best odds

25 Mar 2023 - 16:30 Portland Timbers - Los Angeles Galaxy

1 2.3

X 3.56

2 3.06

25 Mar 2023 - 19:30 Charlotte FC - New York Red Bulls

1 2.65

X 3.3

2 2.75

25 Mar 2023 - 19:30 Columbus Crew - Atlanta United Fc

1 2.57

X 3.6

2 2.75

25 Mar 2023 - 19:30 DC United - New England Revolution

1 2.35

X 3.58

2 3.05

25 Mar 2023 - 19:30 Inter Miami CF - Chicago Fire

1 2.05

X 3.64

2 3.75

25 Mar 2023 - 19:30 Philadelphia Union - Orlando City SC

1 1.75

X 3.9

2 5

25 Mar 2023 - 20:30 Austin FC - Colorado Rapids

1 1.65

X 4.2

2 5.5

25 Mar 2023 - 20:30 Houston Dynamo - New York City

1 2.55

X 3.5

2 2.76

25 Mar 2023 - 20:30 Minnesota United - Vancouver Whitecaps

1 2.35

X 3.6

2 3.05

25 Mar 2023 - 20:30 Nashville SC - FC Cincinnati

1 2

X 3.52

2 4

25 Mar 2023 - 20:30 Sporting Kansas City - Seattle Sounders

1 2.4

X 3.6

2 2.95

25 Mar 2023 - 21:30 Real Salt Lake - Saint Louis City SC

1 1.95

X 3.76

2 4

25 Mar 2023 - 22:30 Los Angeles FC - FC Dallas

1 1.62

X 4.5

2 5.3

25 Mar 2023 - 22:30 San Jose Earthquakes - Toronto FC

1 1.85

X 3.88

2 4.2

01 Apr 2023 - 19:30 Atlanta United Fc - New York Red Bulls

1 2.55

X 3.6

2 2.67

01 Apr 2023 - 19:30 FC Cincinnati - Inter Miami CF

1 2.15

X 3.6

2 3.9

01 Apr 2023 - 19:30 Los Angeles Galaxy - Seattle Sounders

1 1.85

X 3.95

2 4

01 Apr 2023 - 19:30 New England Revolution - New York City

1 2.55

X 3.6

2 2.65

01 Apr 2023 - 19:30 Philadelphia Union - Sporting Kansas City

1 1.55

X 4.15

2 6.75

01 Apr 2023 - 19:30 Toronto FC - Charlotte FC

1 2.55

X 3.55

2 3.2