2021 MLS Betting Guide: Week 3
Why Dallas should be one of your bets this weekend
Disclaimer: Due to my relationship with Austin FC, I will not be discussing that team on this site.
Last week was a bit of a tough one — going 1-2 — but we’re still up almost two units on the year. If Cincinnati could have finished one of their high-quality chances we would be up around 4. A couple of my best bets involve teams playing in the Concacaf Champions League so you might want to wait until lineups come out before placing, but I actually like these picks no matter what lineups are out there.
As always, the odds below are from BetMGM but I encourage you to go out and line shop so you can win the most money on your bets.
The best bets below are all one unit bets. Action Network has a good list of betting terms if you’re new to the space.
Best Bets
FC Dallas (+105) to win vs. Portland Timbers
It’s been a rough start for Dallas, earning just one point in two games. I’m laying this at the feet of Luchi Gonzalez, who has chosen to play a five-man backline against Colorado and San Jose. It clearly has not worked and I’m feeling like he’s going to back to his usual 4-2-3-1 against Portland.
The Timbers are coming off an emotional CCL match against Club America and will be traveling down to Mexico City next week to play the second leg. With that said, I think we could see some heavy rotation from the Timbers. Even if Gio Savarese doesn’t rest some of his older stars, I like Dallas’ chances and don’t think they will go two straight home matches without a win.
Montreal-Columbus over 3.5 goals (+160)
Montreal have conceded the most expected goals of any team in MLS so far this year, but have somehow managed to come away with four points over two games. They are also massively overperforming their own xG total.
I think we see some regression here with the champs coming into town. The Crew are coming off a CCL match, but there’s plenty of depth up top (BWP) and with Lucas Zelarayan suspended for the second leg, he should get the start vs. the Impact. Columbus looked a bit shaky defensively against Monterrey and Montreal have shown they can score. This one could easily be 2-2 or 3-1 Columbus.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC win/draw vs. Colorado Rapids (-135)
You could just go straight moneyline on this one as the ‘Caps are underdogs at “home.” I’m going to hedge a bit with the double chance on a home team at -135. Colorado have been unimpressive so far this year and frankly, I don’t get this line.
Record: 3-3 | Units: +1.84
Prop Bet of the Week
Atlanta scored in both halves last week so we started this section off with a bang. San Jose will be hosting a desperate D.C. United that has shown a different style in two matches. With the clashing styles, there will be some early chances and one team will grab an early lead. I’m taking over .5 goals in the first 15 minutes at +200.
Record: 1-0 | Units: +1.60
MLS Week 3
There’s a reason I told you not to bet every game and stick to the best bets! It was a rough one out there, but again, this is just for fun. Also decided against keeping a record to make it clear this is JUST FOR FUN.
RBNY (+105) | CHI (+220) | Draw (+260) | The Pick: RBNY +105
RSL (+150) | SKC (+155) | Draw (+250) | The Pick: SKC +155
MTL (+200) | CLB (+110) | Draw (+270) | The Pick: DRAW +270
HOU (+170) | LAFC (+120) | Draw (+290) | The Pick: LAFC +120
NE (-140) | ATL (+333) | Draw (+275) | The Pick: NE -140
ORL (-200) | CIN (+500) | Draw (+300) | The Pick: ORL -200
PHI (+135) | NYC (+175) | Draw (+240) | The Pick: DRAW +240
DAL (+105) | POR (+240) | Draw (+240) | The Pick: DAL +105
SJ (-110) | DC (+300) | Draw (+225) | The Pick: SJ -110
NSH (-110) | MIA (+290) | Draw (+230) | The Pick: NSH -110
SEA (-190) | LA (+425) | Draw (+320) | The Pick: DRAW +320
VAN (+225) | COL (+100) | Draw (+270) | The Pick: VAN +225
Line Moves
Since Tuesday. These could keep changing!
RBNY (-105 to +105) | CHI (+240 to +220) | DRAW (+270 to +260)
RSL (+160 to +150) | SKC (+145 to +155)
MTL (+180 to +200) | CLB (+120 to +110) | DRAW (+275 to +270)
NE (-120 to -140) | ATL (+275 to +333) | DRAW (+270 to +275)
PHI (+1115 to +135) | NYC (+200 to +175) | DRAW (+250 to +240)
DAL (+100 to +105) | POR (+220 to +240) | DRAW (+280 to +240)
NSH (+120 to -110) | MIA (+225 to +230) | DRAW (+210 to +230)
VAN (+210 to +225) | COL (+105 to +100)
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