MLS Betting Odds

There will always be MLS Cup betting lines available before and during the campaign, but some folks like to wait for the playoffs to begin to predict who will win the trophy. With a new format in place starting in 2019, teams won’t be playing a home-and-home series to advance in the post-season tournament.

A single-elimination process has been put in place with the revision of the MLS playoff system, so we will no longer have series betting options. So, instead of having two legs and a home game for each team, the seedings will determine placement and it will be a win-or-go-home scenario in each respective conference right through the MLS Cup Finals.

That simplifies MLS Playoff betting, but eliminates a lot of MLS futures betting options. With only one game being played to advance, there are no series betting options anymore. Instead, bettors can put their action on which team will win the Eastern Conference, Western Conference, and then use the MLS betting lines on a game-by-game basis during the regular season.

More often than not, the home teams will be favored after earning their positions in the MLS playoffs, and the betting lines will reflect as much. Upsets come as expected, and the proof comes in the Supporters Shield numbers along with other factors, of course.

Through 2018, there have been 23 MLS seasons played and only eight teams have won the league’s Supporters Shield, which goes to the team with the best regular-season record, and gone on to win the MLS Cup.

MLS Cup betting odds will be sitting on the big board right down to the final MLS Cup match in November. Before the season starts in March, the oddsmakers will offer their expectations on every team to win the MLS Cup. Making the call is simple enough, but knowing the MLS Cup betting lines will hold just as much importance to who you think will win the hardware. There is extreme value in calling for a surprise team to win the MLS Cup, and using Atlanta from the 2018 season will definitely work to explain it.

Atlanta was only playing its second season in the league in 2018, and the line setters had the MLS futures betting odds listed at +600 for them to win the MLS Cup. After the regular season ended and the Red Bulls pulled their historical finish to steal first place, the lines changed again as the MLS playoff betting lines came out. The Red Bulls went from +2000 to start the season, all the way up to +800, and then opened the playoffs as the favorites sitting at +300 to win the MLS Cup, and Atlanta was right with them at +330.

In the MLS Cup finals against Portland, Atlanta was listed as -250 favorites and obviously went on to win the title. The value fell tremendously along the playoffs as well as the end of the regular season, because timing is everything.