MLS Odds & Betting Lines

Major League Soccer is the premier men’s professional soccer league in the United States and is the predecessor of the North American Soccer League (NASL). It’s sanctioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation, representing the sport’s highest level in North America. The MLS was founded 28 years ago and currently has 29 teams – 26 in the U.S. and three from Canada – as of the 2023 season.

The MLS regular season consists of 34 matches and usually begins in February, running through until mid-October. Unlike traditional soccer leagues where the champions are crowned by accumulating the most points, the mean with the best record is awarded the Supporters’ Shield, and the MLS champions are crowned via the postseason MLS Cup Playoffs. In late October, fourteen teams will qualify from the Western and Eastern MLS Conferences to compete in a postseason MLS Cup Playoff scenario, resulting in the league’s championship game, known as the MLS Cup final.

Los Angeles FC won the 2022 MLS Cup final, as sportsbooks throughout America witnessed one of their most popular MLS betting years to date. However, LA Galaxy is often atop the betting odds, as they’ve won the MLS Cup more than any other club (5 titles).

How To Place MLS Bets

The most common types of MLS betting markets with online sportsbooks are:

• Moneyline
• Double Chance (or Two-Way Moneyline)
• Over/Under totals
• MLS futures bets

These markets provide an excellent betting opportunity even for amateur soccer bettors, particularly because they often have great betting odds and a variety of soccer betting lines available.

You should also be aware of when each soccer event is held, so you don’t miss out on the betting action if you want to bet on live games with one of the online betting sites that offer live-game betting.

MLS Moneyline Bets

This type of bet is the most popular of all bet types, where bettors are simply tasked with choosing which team will end the game with a victory. However, unlike alternative major leagues such as NFL, MLB, NBA, or NHL, soccer presents a 3-way moneyline because of a potential tie-game. That said, the available odds are usually more lucrative due to the three possible outcomes of a game – win, lose, or draw.

MLS Over/Under Bets

Totals betting has long been a betting man’s favorite throughout North American sports wagering, and this doesn’t differ in the MLS.

The Over/Under allows you to bet on the combined goals scored by the two teams competing. You’re betting against the number (known as the total) that the sportsbooks provide. Usually, Over/Under 2.5 is the most utilized, but you can also find alternative MLS totals markets like 0.5, 1.2, 3.5, or 4.5.

When betting on the Over/Under 2.5 goals total, winners are declared if the teams score 3 or more goals. Under bettors win if 2 or fewer goals are scored. Alternatively, you can also bet on team totals, which provides similar total selections for a single team instead of combined teams.

MLS Future Bets and Futures Odds

MLS future bets are perfect for finding high-value betting prices. And usually, the earlier you place a future wager, the greater the odds will be because of how the futures markets work. Oddsmakers will provide a list of who will win the MLS Cup and who will win the Eastern and Western Conference titles out of all of the national teams. These odds become available soon after the previous season ends (November-December). The oddsmakers begin collecting the information to determine who’s favored to win the MLS Cup and the respective conference titles ready for the new campaign in February or March based on who has been playing strongly and which teams have been having a poor streak. In addition, you can place future bets on player props such as the top goal scorer (Golden Boot).

Best MLS Sportsbooks

The top online sportsbooks that provide MLS betting will regularly give soccer odds on each fixture, whether it’s an unimportant regular season meeting between Philadelphia Union and Toronto FC or an MLS Cup final game with LA Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls. They’ll also present bettors with competitive sign-up bonuses, excellent customer service, multiple deposit/withdrawal options, and tempting promotions including promo codes that soccer fans can use for all of their soccer betting.

Soccer enthusiasts should also be aware of the alternative domestic leagues available to bet on, such as the Premier League, Champions League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, the Europa League, and much more with many lines being open for betting as soon as the season starts. When looking for the best sportsbooks, be sure they’re offering a wide selection of betting options from the aforementioned leagues, not forgetting player pros and dedicated futures betting categories. Sites that offer exclusive sports betting content such as novel prop bets for Major League Soccer’s many soccer matches throughout the season can also be worth looking into, particularly if they offer great sports betting odds.

Additionally, there are many betting tips and beginner guides that some sports betting operators have on offer to bettors.