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Inter Miami has benefited tremendously from the signing of Lionel Messi, most recently advancing to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League as Messi and Luis Suarez guided the team to a 3-1 win over Nashville SC in the second-leg of their last-16 tie. Messi was able to find Suarez in the eighth minute for a goal. Messi doubled the hosts’ lead later in the first half but was substituted in the 50th minute. Later, it was revealed that Messi had suffered a leg injury that had started to bother him during play, so the team took him off as a precaution. He had rested on Sunday in a 3-2 loss to Montreal, but now he will likely miss Inter Miami’s Saturday contest in Washington against D.C. United. Read on to get our MLS betting insights on that showdown as well as the clash between the Seattle Sounders and the Colorado Rapids.
2024 MLS Betting Analysis: Top Weekend Games in MatchDay 5
D.C. United vs Inter Miami
When: Saturday, March 16, 2:00 pm ET
The Black and Red went to FC Cincinnati and clung for dear life to a scoreless draw. Meanwhile, the Herons took that 3-2 loss against CF Montreal. Fans of D.C. United should actually be pleased by that final score given the porous nature of the D.C. defense a year ago. Last year, away games were a defensive house of horrors as the team permitted two or more goals in nine of their road games. If they can win or draw against Inter Miami, that would draw them even with their longest unbeaten streak. They have a three-game unbeaten start in MLS that is the team’s best start in five years. If the team can beat Inter on Saturday, that will make two straight home wins for the first time since the early parts of 2022. D.C. have points in five of their last six home games, and they haven’t lost at home since September 2023, when they lost a 5-3 barnburner to the N.Y. Red Bulls. They have scored in every regular-season tilt against Inter Miami, but it’s been three years since they beat Inter at home, prevailing then in 1-0 fashion.
Even with Messi resting, Inter has considerable talent and experience on the attacking end. However, the gaps between the midfield and the backline that appear when they don’t have possession can cause problems, and Montreal turned those problems into three goals. Inter also struggle to defend set pieces, which led to 15 goals allowed last season and has already led to a few goals in 2023-24. In their last six away matches, Inter are winless, dating back to last September, when they beat LAFC at BMO Stadium, 3-1. They do have points in their last two matches at D.C. United, with a 2-2 draw in 2023 and a 3-2 win in 2022. Take the draw.
DC United vs Inter Miami Betting Lines to Win
Seattle Sounders vs Colorado Rapids
When: Saturday, March 16, 3:30 pm ET
Seattle are still looking for their first win of the 2024 MLS season. Last week’s home tilt with the Philadelphia Union was put on hold due to torrential rain. However, the Rapids picked up their first 2024 victory, taking down woeful Real Salt Lake, 2-1. The Sounders finished second in the West last season but have sputtered so far in 2024. A three-match losing streak to open the season would be their first in six years. However, they have a four-match home unbeaten streak going back to last season, and they have allowed just one goal over their last five home MLS games, including a 0-0 draw against Austin FC at the start of March. They also have won three straight regular-season games when they tally in the first half. Against Colorado, they have won 16 of 19 competitive fixtures. In their last six meetings in Seattle, the Sounders have outscored the Rapids by a combined 18-1.
New head coach Chris Armas got his first win with Colorado last week, and that game was the first time since July 2023 that the Rapids had given up the opening goal of a match but then came back to win. They ended an 11-match winless streak away from home, and if they can beat Seattle, that second road win would match their away win total from the whole 2023 season. Armas’ high-press, high-energy system is already been paying dividends as the team is racking up points. They have two more points (4) out of their first three matches than they had after six matches a year ago. They have only scored in two of their last seven matches in Seattle and have not won at Lumen Field in eight seasons. I like Colorado’s newfound energy and see them capitalizing on a Seattle team that can’t yet get out of its own way. Rapids to win.
Seattle Sounders vs Colorado Rapids Betting Lines to Win
Odds to Win MLS for Top 10 Teams
- Inter Miami +250
- Columbus Crew +800
- Los Angeles FC +950
- FC Cincinnati +1200
- New York Red Bulls +1300
- LA Galaxy +1600
- Philadelphia Union +1600
- Seattle Sounders +1700
- Atlanta United +2500
- St. Louis City +2500
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Top MLS Betting Games Matchday 3
One change that you may not have noticed as Major League Soccer enters its third week of play is that the matches are being officiated by replacement referees as the dispute between the league and the Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA) continues. The disagreement has to do with pay, as most officials make less than $50,000 per year, and benefits. Given that these officials work jobs through the week and then hop on a plane to call these games, the long slog of the schedule, which runs from February to November – and starts for officials with training and preparation in early January – the movement for full-time pay is significant. With very few complaints coming from teams or players about the quality of the replacement officials, though, has the PSRA lost its leverage?
Let’s look at the top matches for MLS betting enthusiasts for this coming weekend.
Top MLS Betting Games and Predictions for the Weekend
Saturday, March 2
Real Salt Lake vs LAFC (2:00 pm ET)
Real Salt Lake are off to a tough start to the 2024 campaign, with just one point out of their first two games. They took a 2-0 beating at home from Inter Miami before heading to St. Louis and getting the away draw against St. Louis City SC. Cristian “Chicho” Arango tallied the first goal of 2024 for RSL in the 75th minute in St. Louis, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead. In the 80th minute, Sam Adeniran brought the equalizer for the hosts. RSL has beaten LAFC just three times in 16 tries. The only injury on the RSL list is Kevin Bonilla (knee). New signing Alexandro Katranis has missed the first two games of 2024 due to personal reasons and is not expected to play.
LAFC has just played once this season, taking down the Seattle Sounders, 2-1, at BMO Stadium. The 2022 MLS Cup winners got tallies from Tim Tillman and Mateusz Bogusz, and those two goals held up despite Pedo de la Vega sending a ball home from the penalty spot in the late minutes of the second half. The only entry on the LAFC injury report is center back Lorenzo Dellavalle, whom the club brought up from LAFC 2 to join the top team. This is more of a depth injury than a concern for the starting XI, though. Hugo Lloris and Omar Campos joined LAFC this season; Lloris had six saves in his debut. Final Prediction: LAFC to win.
Chicago Fire vs FC Cincinnati (8:30 pm ET)
Both of these sides came out of their 2024 MLS openers with a single point. The Chicago Fire went to Philadelphia and rew with the Union despite having possession for just 43% of the game and despite the Union easily winning the shots-on-target metric. Chicago has the home-field advantage, but playing at cavernous Soldier Field does not deliver the same emotional boost as playing in some of the smaller soccer-only stadiums does.
FC Cincinnati wasted a number of terrific passes from Acosta, finishing with a disappointing 0-0 tie in their opener against Toronto. Despite the fact that FC Cincinnati has finished well ahead of the Fire in the MLS standings in recent seasons, the series between these two teams is actually pretty close. IN their last 10 matches, FC Cincinnati has won four, Chicago has won three, and three have ended in draws. Over their last five meetings, both sides of have won twice with one ending in a draw, but no game has been decided by more than one goal. An interesting prop for this game is FC Cincinnati over/under 2 ½ goals. Their offense is prolific, but they struggled in their opener and have not been able to do much damage against Chicago in recent meetings. Take the draw, and take FC Cincinnati UNDER 2 ½ goals.
Chicago Fire vs FC Cincinnati | Betting Odds for MLS Games MyBookie Football lines for each match of the season
Top MLS Betting Games Matchday 2
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The 2023 Major League Soccer season is about three months along, and FC Cincinnati continues its run of terrific play, with just one loss through the first 13 matches. Interestingly, with a 9-3-1 record, the Eastern Conference leaders only have a +7 goal differential. They sit five points clear of Nashville SC and six points clear of the New England Revolution, contenders for the first time in several seasons. In the Western Conference, newcomers St. Louis CITY SC has maintained its strong start, with a 7-1-4 record, good for 22 points, tied with FC Dallas for third in the conference. LAFC leads the West with a 7-4-1 record, good for 25 points, two points clear of Seattle (and with two matches in hand). Let’s look at the top matches for MLS betting enthusiasts for this coming weekend.
MLS Betting News: Top Weekend Games
New England Revolution vs Chicago Fire FC
When: Saturday, May 27 at 7:30 pm ET
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
TV / Streaming: MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app
The Revs look to bounce back from an unsightly 3-0 beating they took in Philadelphia last week. New England held the ball for 58% of the match but could not generate much offense, launching eight shots, all from distance, without putting a single one on target. Philadelphia had 17 shots, with seven on target. The Revs showed their frustration, being shown five yellow cards over the course of the match, to just one for the Union. The first half was a scoreless affair, and then Daniel Gazdag started the scoring for the hosts in the 56th minute, finishing his brace 18 minutes later from the spot. Julian Carranza added insult to injury with the third goal in the 88th minute.
Chicago also played an extremely physical game, hosting Atlanta United and playing to a spirited 3-3 draw. Andrew Gutman gave Atlanta an early lead, scoring in the 29th minute, just after Chicago went a man down as Federico Navarro was shown a red card. However, Chicago drew level just before halftime thanks to an Atlanta own goal. Chicago made it 2-1 in the 49th minute, thanks to a tally from Maren Haile-Selassie, but Giorgos Giakoumakis brought the visitors level in the 55th minute and gave the visitors the lead ten minutes later. Luiz Araujo saw a red card of his own for Atlanta in the 71st minute, and Chicago took advantage in the 89th minute, tying the game. Atlanta outshot Chicago, 15-10 (7-3 on target) and possessed for 56 percent of the match, forcing five corners. Chicago to win.
Houston Dynamo FC vs Austin FC
When: Saturday, May 27 at 8:30 pm ET
Where: Shell Energy Stadium, Houston, TX
TV / Streaming: MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app
Houston played up I-45 at FC Dallas last week and came home with the point in a 1-1 draw. The first half was mostly a conservative one, as neither team seemed that interested in pressing the action. FC Dallas got the first goal of the game when Jader Obrian tallied in the 53rd minute. It looked like that goal might stand, but then Houston drew level thanks to Thorleifur Ulfarsson’s equalizer in the 85th minute. FC Dallas outshot the Dynamo, 10-8 (4-2 on target) despite possessing for just 43% of the match.
Next up for Houston is a visit from Austin FC, 1-0 winners over Toronto at home last week. Austin had peppered the visitors with shots all day long, launching 16 (two on net) to just three for Toronto, and they had possessed for 63% of the match, forcing . However, they did not break through until US men’s national team player Gyasi Zardes tallied during injury time at the end of the second half. The match saw 25 fouls and seven yellow cards (four for Austin). Austin is just one point ahead of Houston in the standings, but the Dynamo have a match in hand. Houston to win.
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