MLS Picks for 2023 Opening Weekend
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Major League Soccer is back this weekend.
There’s been a World Cup and five months since we witnessed the dramatic scenes in California when Los Angeles triumphed in the MLS Cup, and the 2023 season gets underway on Saturday with New York City at Nashville.
Ahead of kick-off, we pick the games to get you ready for your MLS betting.
New York City (+230) at Nashville (+210)
There’s a lot of hope circling Nashville this season after many positives in 2022. Gary Smith will lead the Boys in Gold for his third season in charge, and all attention will turn to Hany Mukhtar after choosing to stay at Nashville.
Mukhtar was the third highest scorer in MLS last season and given how he played three games less than Daniel Gazdag and Sebastian Driussi, his 23 goals in 34 games gave him the best goals to game ratio in MLS last year.
New York has been there or thereabouts since 2016 and its eighth-placed overall finish last season was its lowest since its inaugural season back in 2015.
The Pigeons tend to win on gameweek one, but the goalscoring excellence of Mukhtar may prevent this.
PICK: A tie (+230)
San Jose Earthquakes (+430) at Atlanta United (-200)
Arguably the easiest pick of the weekend is Atlanta United against San Jose Earthquakes.
San Jose finished last in the Western Conference in 2022 and it ended up 26th in the overall table. It marked one of the worst seasons in its history, and with 69 goals conceded in 34 games, only D.C. United had a worse defensive record last year.
Atlanta did not do much better and finished only five points ahead in 23rd. However, with the additions of players like Giorgos Giakoumakis this season and with stars like Thiago Almada still at Atlanta, it should have a better year.
PICK: Atlanta to win 1-0, 2-0 or 3-0
New England Revolution (+210) at Charlotte (+105)
Charlotte and the New England Revolution both finished on 42 points in 2022 in the Eastern Conference.
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This season, we expect big things from New England with them boasting of stars like Carles Gil, David Romney, Omar Gonzalez, Giacomo Vrioni and Gustavo Bou. Jozy Altidore also adds some much-needed experience to its locker room and we should get a New England win on opening weekend.
PICK: New England to win 1-0 (+1300)
Toronto (+180) at D.C. United (+120)
We got glimpses of how Toronto could look in 2023 towards the end of last season and this campaign, we expect big things.
Michael Bradley will lead out Toronto again this season, and with Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi getting half an MLS season under their belts in 2022, Toronto now has one of the best rosters in MLS.
Wayne Rooney has acquired the services of former Premier League man Mateusz Klich, but after finishing in last place in 2022, we think Toronto will win here.
PICK: Toronto to win and Insigne to score (+501)
Houston Dynamo (+370) at Cincinnati (-175)
Brenner and Luciano Acosta will aim to build on their excellent seasons last year, as the two scored 25 goals in MLS in 2022.
At the same time, Houston’s roster has barely changed for the better. Héctor Herrera will get his first full MLS season with it this year, but we don’t see how it improves much from last season.
PICK: Cincinnati to win 2-0 (+850)
Montreal (+155) at Inter Miami (+145)
A lot is expected of Inter Miami this season after a fantastic finish to 2022 that saw it creep into the playoffs in the final few games. Montreal also finished just two points behind MLS Cup finalists, Philadelphia Union.
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Miami has also pulled off a monumental signing this year, as Atlanta's all-time top scorer, Josef Martinez, leads its line in 2023. We think big things are for him and his side.
PICK: Josef Martinez to score first (+470)
Columbus Crew (+360) at Philadelphia (-155)
Philadelphia Union let in a record-breaking 26 goals in MLS last season, meaning it had the best defensive record in the competition’s history.
It's also beaten Colorado Rapids 4-2, Cincinnati 3-1 and New England 2-0 in exhibition games this month ahead of playing Columbus Crew.
It should be an easy win for the Union.
PICK: Philadelphia to win 1-0, 2-0 or 3-0 (+220)
New York Red Bulls (+195) at Orlando City (+125)
It’s tough to see what the New York Red Bulls could bring to the table in 2023 with some positives and negatives from its roster changes so far.
Dante Vanzeir joins the Red Bulls as a Designated Player (DP) this season after scoring 10 goals in 20 games for Union SG in Belgium. Luquinhas is another DP with them for another year, but he scored just five goals in 30 MLS games last season.
As for Orlando, the addition of MartÃn Ojeda has added a lot of potential goals to the offense and we expect a win on gameweek one for the Lions.
PICK: Orlando to win 2-1 (+850)
Minnesota United (+320) at Dallas (-135)
Minnesota has won just one of its six exhibition games in the past month, as it beat New York City 1-0. It then tied with Philadelphia before losing to Orlando, the Red Bulls, San Jose and Vancouver.
Jesus Ferreira will play a starring role for Dallas once again this year, as he scored 18 goals in 33 MLS games in 2022. Last year also included five goals in 11 games for the USMNT for him, and we expect Ferreira to guide Dallas to a win here.
PICK: Dallas to win and Jesus Ferreira to score first (+581)
Los Angeles (+130) at LA Galaxy (+160)
For the first time in MLS history, an El Trafico takes place in Week 1.
This is, after all, a local derby, and form tends to go out of the window in these games. On the other hand, it should be another Los Angeles win, despite them losing Cristian Arango this season.
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The MLS Cup defending champions are once again the favorites to win the title this season, and they should kick things off with three points in this derby.
PICK: Carlos Vela to score anytime and LAFC to win (+266)
Kansas City (+230) at Portland Timbers (-110)
The Portland Timbers are expected to get three easy points against Kansas City at Providence Park after beating LA Galaxy 4-1 and New York City 1-0 in its recent exhibition games.
Kansas has trusted in Peter Vermes as head coach again this season, but its roster has barely changed since finishing 22nd in the overall table last year.
PICK: Portland Timbers to win 1-0, 2-0 or 3-0
Real Salt Lake (+185) at Vancouver Whitecaps (+130)
Vancouver Whitecaps lost two, won three and tied two in its seven exhibition games in 2023. At the same time, Real Salt Lake has gone on to defeat the MLS Cup champions LAFC, and also beat El Paso Locomotive 5-0 just two weeks ago.
Sergio Córdova is stealing the headlines in this one, as he scored nine goals in 33 MLS games for Salt Lake last season but has now signed a three-year deal with Vancouver
It’ll be a close game, so we’re going for a tie.
PICK: A tie (+230)
Colorado Rapids (+300) at Seattle Sounders (-135)
The Seattle Sounders have had a tough time in the past month. It lost to Hammarby and tied with Wolfsberg in exhibition games, before going on to lose to Al Ahly in the second round of the Club World Cup. The Sounders also started the 2022 season off incredibly slow.
Colorado recently lost 4-1 to Philadelphia in a friendly, and its major positive heading into 2023 is the signing of DP, Andreas Maxsø.
Home advantage should prevail here and we think Seattle gets the win.
PICK: Seattle to win and Raul Ruidiaz (+350)
St. Louis City (+450) at Austin (-205)
St. Louis City joins MLS for 2023 as an expansion team, but we expect a loss on opening week. Roman Bürki is the only notable player for it heading into 2023, and we think it may need a few weeks to find its feet in the division.
Austin's roster has continued to get better this year and has also managed to keep hold of Sebastián Driussi. The Argentine scored 25 goals last season from 38 games, and we think he'll shine again here.
PICK: Austin to win 3-0 (+900)
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