This was a landmark season in the MLS. The biggest soccer star in the world, Leo Messi, showed up mid-season yet is nowhere to be found now that the postseason is underway. Nevertheless, the first round of the MLS playoffs is full of betting opportunities. In this article, we’ll lay out the ones most worth your time.
- What: MLS Playoffs
- When: Sunday, October 29
Best Bets Of MLS First-Round Playoffs
MLS underwent serious changes to its playoff structure (again). First of all, a wildcard round was implemented— one single-elimination matchup in each conference. Sporting KC and New York Red Bull won those. Now the quarterfinals first round is a best-of-three series. A team must win each matchup, no draws. No extra time either, it’s straight to penalty kicks if the score is tied at the end of regulation. The higher seed hosts game one and three if needed. Let’s make our picks for some of MLS first-round matchups. Here are two betting picks to prioritize:
St. Louis City SC vs. Sporting Kansas City
We begin with the No. 1 vs. No. 8 matchup in the Western Conference. As we said, Kansas City scrapped by in the wildcard — needing penalties to outlast San Jose. Meanwhile, the league’s Cinderella story, expansion franchise St. Louis, is still being treated fluke-like. Just take a gander at the St. Louis vs. Kansas City moneyline. St. Louis is plus-money — the only favored team this round that isn’t minus in Game 1. Here’s the current odds:
It’s worth mentioning the home team won every single meeting during the regular season. St. Louis ended up winning twice, with the other result going for Kansas City. Of course, due to the proximity of both cities, there should be some fan overlap in these matches. Plus, Saint Louis is a brand-new franchise. Surely, some of the city’s soccer lovers are old-time supporters of Sporting KC who have been around. That’s why home-field advantage might be minimal in this one (travel will be easy for players too).
Everyone keeps expecting St. Louis to come back “down to Earth” but there’s little evidence they actually will. They won their first five games, but roared on to take 17 in total — a league record for a debut team. But now the pressure is truly on them for perhaps the first time all season.
Something tells us those nerves will play a big factor in Game 1. We’re not making the mistake of picking against St. Louis City — not after proving us wrong all 2023 — but they’ll need to earn this victory in PKs. We believe a regulation-time draw is a very likely outcome in this one.
Philadelphia Union vs. New England Revolution
Here’s a fun No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup in the Eastern Conference. As it stands, the higher-seeded Union are comfortable favorites to win Game 1 against New England. Here’s how the top betting sites for MLS have the odds laid out:
Funny enough, these two sides met a week ago in the regular-season finale. The match happened on Revolution’s pitch and they eked out a 2-1 win. It marked the first loss for Philly since August 30. Then again, we’re not sure how much to read into that outcome. It was a rain-soaked field and neither team was playing for much anyway with playoff sport locked up already. Both clubs finished with identical 15-10-9 records but Union had the better goal difference to earn the tiebreaker.
We’ll be blunt here and say we’re not all the way bought into Philly. They’ve been letdowns most of the season coming off a heartbreaking loss in the MLS Cup a year ago. We keep giving them the benefit of the doubt that they’ll “turn it on” but there’s not a whole lot of evidence to really back that. Take its previous seven matches, six ended in a draw. We’d definitely avoid their moneyline in Game 1.
To us, either this game finishes as a draw after 90 minutes or New England pulls off the upset. The thing is, Revolution is also on a downward spiral since manager Bruce Arenas stepped down in September — when this team was a contender for the Supporter’s Shield. The lack of momentum on both sides could lead to a sloppy outing. If so, a draw is highly likely.
How To Bet On 2023 MLS Playoffs?
We have MLS playoff betting for the next two months or so. To get in on all the betting action, visit one of the sportsbooks featured below. You’ll find a deep soccer betting menu at any one of these sites. That depth is one of the major reasons these are top-rated bookies in our newest sportsbook review section.
But here’s the real reason you should use these sites: you could make hundreds to thousands of dollars in free play right now with big-money sportsbook bonuses. That’s essentially free money to fund your MLS playoff betting. The best promotional deals are listed in the table. Pick one and you’re gambling with “house money.”
