With its summer season and late kick offs, MLS is an interesting alternative for punters to look at for their football betting options. The league is certainly improving in quality, and it is gaining more and more attention each year. With a long wait until domestic football is back in Europe, maybe it's time to switch attention to Major League Soccer? And our live betting odds comparison ensures you get the best prices from the most trusted bookies, while our betting tips and predictions should help you pick which team to back in the outright winner market.
Of course, it's not a straight switch from European football to the other side of the Atlantic. The US have tinkered with the usual format, bringing it closer to other major American sports. The team with the most points over the season wins the Supporters Shield. The outright winner is the one who wins the MLS Cup, which is awarded after the end of season play-offs.
Those play-offs take the top six teams from each of the two conferences, and pit them against each other. Splitting the league like this makes for an unbalanced fixture schedule, and it can ruin any predictions you make. Teams play 24 matches against the other nine teams in their conference, while they play five matches at home and another five away against sides in the opposing conference.
Despite this odd way of setting up the league, it's just a different twist on the same game. The same key things matter, and over the course of months a winner will be decided. If you're planning to back an outright winner of the MLS Cup, you should check out our live odds comparison first. It collects betting odds from all over, and compares them to ensure you get the best value.
The last 10 years have seen many big name signings in MLS, mostly down to changes to their salary cap. The designated players rule has allowed American sides to smash their wage structure to bring in big names and top talent. While that seems like a good thing for the league, the jury is out on the benefits those stars bring to their team.
The recent trend in MLS has been that teams triumph over individuals. While the likes of Kaka, Andrea Pirlo and Frank Lampard have made big headlines, they've not delivered for their respective teams. Understated squads, such as the Portland Timbers, have excelled while others target big names. The Timbers won the MLS cup last term, and they had no big names, just a well-rounded squad.
New York City FC - priced at 30/1 with Unibet - have built their team around Lampard, Pirlo and David Villa, yet none of those have had a huge impact. The former Chelsea man was recently booed on to the pitch by NYCFC fans. So don't always go after the teams with the marquee signings in this league when you are considering which side to bet on.
FC Dallas are a side who have been built with a strong youth academy, and a tight wage budget. They don't pay a single player a seven figure salary. You'd think that'd make them also rans, but they're second favourites in the outright winner market at betting odds of 12/1 with Bet365. Having topped the Western Conference last season, we predict they're going to be contenders this term.
They lost to eventual champions Portland in the play-offs, but we're expecting better this year. Dallas have everything a winner needs in this league, and with latest odds making them 12/1 with Bet365 in the outright winner market, they're our tip this year.
If you agree on our outright winner prediction, you should check the latest price on our live odds comparison. It offers tons of betting odds on MLS markets, and it's an essential tool for any bet you're thinking of making.