2024 Major League Soccer Betting Odds

MLS is home to some of North America’s biggest soccer franchises. It may be one of the newest top-flight soccer leagues in the world, but MLS has slowly gained popularity and has produced some top talents in recent years.

Aside from that, the league has also been hailed for its unpredictability. The 2022 season is expected to be no different, meaning that fans and bettors alike can look forward to a highly competitive, edge-of-your-seat season.

Recent MLS Cup winners like the Seattle Sounders, Atlanta United, and Toronto FC should be a strong force this season and could be the favorites for the 2022 MLS Cup. Other teams, such as David Beckham’s Inter Miami franchise and the once-dominant LA Galaxy, are also expected to do well in the upcoming season.

However, with the unpredictability of the league and the benefit of the playoffs, other lesser-known teams can come from nowhere and win the cup.

So you need to cover all your bases before you place MLS futures bet, which is why we’re here. Read on for our detailed betting preview if you want to know more about which team to back this season.

How Is The Winner Decided?

Like other American leagues, MLS has a regular season and a postseason. The regular-season starts during the early parts of the year, usually in late February or at the beginning of March, and then concludes in October.

After the end of the regular season, 14 teams take part in the postseason tournament, which is commonly known as the MLS Cup Playoffs. The top 7 teams from both conferences qualify for the playoffs.

The final game of the MLS Cup playoffs pits the winners of the Eastern Conference against the winners of the Western Conference in the league’s championship decider. The winner of that game wins the MLS cup.

Aside from the MLS Cup, there is also another piece of silverware up for grabs. The team with the best regular-season record, i.e., the most points, wins the Supporters’ Shield.

MLS 2022 Betting Odds Report

Season after season, MLS continues to deliver surprises. With a world cup around the corner, teams and players will be eager to shine before the big event, and we’re likely to see a highly competitive season when the 2022 MLS season kicks off.

Last season, some of the league’s big guns such as Toronto FC, Inter Miami, and FC Dallas all underperformed and missed the playoffs, while the likes of New England Revolution and Nashville SC stunned the rest of the league.

So backing an underdog this season may be a risky venture, but as recent history shows, it may just pay off.

The Favorites

New England Revolution – For the first time in their 27-year history, New England Revolution is the defending Supporters’ Shield champions. The Revs were utterly impressive last season; they dominated the league in style and ended up setting a single-season points record.

Bruce Arena, New England’s Head coach, and sporting director joined the club in 2019 and has been the main driving force behind the Revs’ transformation. He led them to the Eastern Conference Final in 2020 and guided the Revs to the Supporters’ Shield in his second full season.

The 2022 MLS season is going to be Arena’s third full season, and the signs show that the Revs engine isn’t going to be throttled any time soon.

Seattle Sounders – Seattle Sounders are a pretty consistent team and are always favorites for the MLS Cup. For the past six seasons, they have dominated the Western Conference and have always finished in the top 2. They’ve also won the MLS Cup on a few occasions.

The Sounders have a good record in the playoffs; between 2016-2020, they missed out on the final game of the playoffs just once. So banking on Brian Schmetzer’s men to go far in the playoffs seems like a pretty safe bet.

Atlanta United – Atlanta United won their Inaugural MLS Cup in 2018 and was a force to be reckoned with in their formative years. However, since then, their league dominance has withered.

In the past few seasons, the Five Stripes have been average at best; they have gone from MLS Cup favorites to fighting for playoff spots.

They still have one of the best fanbases in the league and are one of the most valuable MLS sides, so it’s only a matter of time before Atlanta United has a league resurgence.

Sporting Kansas City – Sporting KC is one of the league’s most historic franchises. In recent seasons, the Wizards have become Western Conference favorites, thanks in part to their consistent performances.

Since 2011, they’ve only missed out on the playoffs once. They’ve also finished first in the Western Conference multiple times in the past few seasons.

Peter Vermes, the longest-serving head coach in the MLS, will hope that his experience can pay off and will want to guide Sporting KC to another MLS cup under his tenure.

The Contenders

Columbus Crew SC – Columbus Crew, the 2020 MLS Cup Champions, will be eager to build on their recent title win. Head coach Caleb Porter joined the club in 2019 and helped transform the fortunes of the Crew.

With Porter still at the helm, you can count on Columbus Crew to go deep into the playoffs.

Inter Miami – Beckham’s Florida-based franchise entered the league in 2020. Even before their debut season, a lot was expected from Inter Miami. It’s safe to say that the team hasn’t met any of those prior expectations.

Despite having numerous stars, Inter Miami struggled during the 2021 season and eventually missed out on the playoffs.

The main aim for head coach Phil Neville during the 2022 season will be to work with the stars that he already has, especially since Inter Miami won’t be able to break the bank after they were fined for breaking MLS rules over the signing of the World Cup winner Blaise Matuidi.

Los Angeles Galaxy – The LA Galaxy were once the most dominant team in the league. For a while, the team used to be the go-to destination for aging European stars, but with other emerging franchises, the club has slowly lost its appeal.

It’s been a while since the LA Galaxy won something noteworthy, but their fortunes look like they can change in the coming seasons. Greg Vanney, who managed a Championship-winning Toronto side from 2014-2020, was appointed in 2021 and maybe the man to lead the Galaxy to their former glory.

Nashville SC – Nashville is still a relatively new team, but they seem to have settled in MLS better than Inter Miami. The Six-Strings made the playoffs in their inaugural season and continued that trend by qualifying for the 2021 playoffs.

They may not be the runaway favorites for the MLS cup, but there’s still a good chance that they can surprise the rest of the league.

New York City FC – Since they made their MLS debut, New York City FC has emerged as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. The Boys in Blue have consistently finished in the Eastern Conference’s top positions, and they’ve qualified for the playoffs in each of the last six seasons.

An MLS Cup may be elusive, but it’s only a matter of time before they get their hands on one.

MLS Historical Winners

Year	MLS Cup Champions	Runners-Up	Final Score
2020	Columbus Crew	Seattle Sounders FC	3-0
2019	Seattle Sounders FC	Toronto FC	3-1
2018	Atlanta United FC	Portland Timbers	2-0
2017	Toronto FC	Seattle Sounders FC	2-0
2016	Seattle Sounders FC	Toronto FC	0-0 (5-4 Pens)
2015	Portland Timbers	Columbus Crew	2-1
2014	Los Angeles Galaxy	New England Revolution	2–1 (AET)
2013	Sporting Kansas City	Real Salt Lake	1-1 (7-6 Pens)
2012	Los Angeles Galaxy	Houston Dynamo	3-1
2011	Los Angeles Galaxy	Houston Dynamo	1-0

How To Bet On MLS 2022

If you want to place an MLS futures wager, here’s how you can do so:

1. Create a sports betting account on your preferred sportsbook.
2. Choose soccer betting from the sports menu.
3. A list of soccer leagues will appear. Choose MLS from those leagues.
4. Go to the futures tab.
5. Go to the “MLS 2022 Winner” market.
6. Choose the MLS team/teams that you want to bet on.
7. Enter the amount that you’re willing to wager on the bet slip that pops up.
8. Confirm and place your bet.