It’s only been two weeks, but Major League Soccer is starting to see the best teams take over. DC United and the New York Red Bulls are both 2-0 in the East and Austin FC and the LA Galaxy are 2-0 in the West.
Seattle, one of the favorites to win this year’s MLS Cup, has lost both of its first two matches of the new season. The Sounders will be among several teams in action on Saturday.
Austin FC has a remarkable 10 goals in two games. The New York Red Bulls and Columbus Crew have each scored seven. The Crew will be in action on Saturday and are among the day’s best bets.
Here’s a look at MLS Week 3 predictions and odds.
Columbus vs. Toronto FC
Pick: COLUMBUS -143
The 2020 MLS Cup winner is off to a 1-1-0 start in 2022. Columbus has scored seven goals thus far beating Vancouver 4-0 and playing to a 3-3 draw with San Jose last week.
Toronto is off to a 0-1-1 start in the new season. The Canadians have not won a MLS match in quite some time. Toronto’s last victory in MLS play came on Oct. 3 of last year. The club beat Chicago 3-1 at home. Since then, Toronto has four losses and four draws.
Lucas Zelarayan has scored three goals for the Crew. Toronto has a -3 goal differential through two games. Columbus is among the favorites to win this year’s MLS Cup. Toronto is not.
Seattle vs. LA Galaxy
Pick: SEATTLE +105
The Sounders are one of the favorites to win this year’s MLS Cup. Seattle was the runner-up in 2020 and won the 2019 MLS Cup. It’s somewhat of a surprise that the club has started the new season with consecutive losses.
What’s even more interesting is that Seattle doesn’t have a MLS victory in its last nine matches. You have to go back to last October to find the Sounders last MLS win, a 4-1 defeat of Vancouver.
The Galaxy have started the new season with two straight 1-0 victories, one over New York City and the other over Charlotte, MLS’s newest team.
It’s hard to see Seattle losing a third straight. They are too talented to do so. Plus, they are playing at home. Back the Sounders.
Profitable Sports Handicappers
Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati
Pick: ORLANDO CITY -215
If there are any absolutes in MLS, it is that FC Cincinnati is the league’s worst franchise. Cincy has earned MLS’s Wooden Spoon, given annually to the league’s worst team, three straight seasons. Technically, Cincy has only earned it twice as the league didn’t award it in 2020, but you get the idea.
Essentially, any team “better” than FC Cincinnati is a team an MLS bettor should consider. This week, it’s Orlando City SC that gets the league’s worst and they play them at home.
Orlando beat CF Montreal 2-0 in the season opener and played to a 0-0 draw with the Chicago Fire last week. Orlando is a big moneyline favorite, but Cincinnati is that bad.
Learn how to bet on Asian handicaps for MLS week 3.
