Major League Soccer Previews, Predictions & Betting Tips

Major League Soccer (MLS) is the top division of men's professional soccer (football) in the United States and Canada. There are 23 teams comprising 20 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada. The most recent team is Los Angeles FC who will compete from 2018.

Major League Soccer took off in 1993 in conjunction with the United States' successful bid to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The competition began with just ten teams and endured difficulty early on, but MLS has gone from strength to strength and now has average attendances that exceed NHL and NBA.

The MLS regular season runs from March to October with each team playing 34 games. The postseason runs throughout November and December and culminates with the championship game, the MLS Cup.

MLS has had a reputation as a retirement home for fading European stars such as David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Robbie Keane, David Villa, Andrea Pirlo and Kaka. LA Galaxy’s recent signing of Zlatan Ibrahimovic reinforces that reputation. 

However, Sebastian Giovinco played a leading hand in Toronto FC’s maiden MLS Cup in 2017 and teams such as Atlanta United and the New York Red Bulls have been scouting South America for top quality young talent. The quality is definitely improving, and the additions of new teams Miami and Nashville in the coming years should be positive.

The LA Galaxy are the most successful team in MLS history with five MLS Cups, D.C. United next best with four. The San Jose Earthquakes, Sporting Kansas City and Houston Dynamo all have two MLS Cups to their name.