It’s a full card on Saturday, August 24 with 12 games to re-start the MLS season after Leagues Cup. Let’s look at the top MLS Week 29 predictions, picks and parlays, plus get in the 2 Leagues Cup games on Sunday as well.
MLS Picks and Parlays #1
Inter Miami CF vs FC Cincinnati Prediction
It’s 1st vs 2nd here with Miami hosting Cincinnati, with clear revenge in mind after Cincy absolutely blasted Miami 6-1 in Ohio as recently as July 6, though Miami had no Messi, Suarez or Alba and Busquets got red-carded. Messi will miss out again here.
Miami’s trend has been scoring and conceding all season and that continued in Leagues Cup with a 2-0 win, followed by a 2-1 loss, 4-3 win and 3-2 loss to Columbus after being up 2-0 in the second half.
Shutting out Puebla is Miami’s only clean sheet in 14 games.
So while I expect a better showing vs Cincy this time around, I can’t see a shutout.
Only once in 13 games and twice in 27 games have FCC not scored. In Leagues Cup they won 1-0, 4-2, drew 1-1 and won in PKs and then lost 4-2. They did enter the tournament with 3-1, 1-0 and 3-1 losses. So their games have seen plenty of goals too.
Cincy also brings in 10-goal man Nicolas Gioacchini from St. Louis last year and a new CB Chidozie Awaziem.
Miami added CB David Martinez from River Plate who debuted in the Leagues Cup but also saw a red card and missed time.
I pulled this stat from the MLS site, being that total goals are up to 3.11 per game, from last year’s 2.76 and the highest amount since 2018’s 3.19.
Let’s hope that continues here.
BTTS and Over 2.5 for me or just BTTS.
- MLS Predictions: Both Teams to Score & Over 2.5 (-125)
MLS Picks and Parlays #2
Charlotte FC vs New York Red Bulls Prediction
In Leagues Cup it was an early exit for both. Charlotte lost 1-0, then drew 0-0 and won in PKs but didn’t advance. The 1-0 loss to Philly is their only loss in 5 though.
New York drew 0-0, then lost in PKs, then drew 1-1 and again lost in PKs. They had been undefeated in 8 games prior to Leagues Cup though.
Maybe we get two fresh teams on Saturday. Maybe it’s two rusty teams who have been off for 3 weeks. It’s tough to tell.
In MLS, New York is 4th in the East and Charlotte 6th, separated by just 4 points.
At 16-9, the Red Bulls have been more of an Over team this year and their games average 2.9 GPM. But Charlotte is 15-10 to the Under, the highest Under team, and the 2.3 GPM in their games is the lowest in MLS. They’ve only lost 4 times, but have piled up the draws with 11, tied for the most with St. Louis.
Both added some pieces, for Charlotte, US international Tim Ream on defense and DP attacking midfielder/winger Pep Biel from Olympiacos.
New York added DP #6 midfielder in Felipe Carballo, a Uruguayan international from Brazilian side Gremio.
To me this looks like an Under. But then New York won 3-1 this season and last year the scores were 1-1, 2-2 and then 5-2 New York.
I’d still lean Under 2.5, but for this parlay, we’ll be safer and go Under 3.5.
- MLS Predictions: Under 3.5
New York City FC vs Chicago Fire Prediction
5th in the East New York hosts 14th Chicago here.
These teams drew 0-0 on July 13 and the Under has been the trend with Under 2.5 going a perfect 8-0 in recent meetings.
Chicago were in and out of Leagues Cup losing 2-1 and 3-1 and have been off since August 1. They have 1 win in 6 and just 4 in 20 across all comps.
New York made it a bit further, reaching the quarterfinals, drawing Columbus 1-1 and losing in PKs. Despite that, they still only had 1 win in regulation during the tournament with 2 others coming in PKs. That means they have 1 win in regulation in 9 games, with 6 ending drawn after 90. They’ve still scored in 7 of those 9 and Santi Rodriguez has goals in 3 of this past 4 games.
Hard to trust either, but New York should score.
- MLS Predictions: NYCFC to score
Houston Dynamo vs Toronto FC Prediction
TFC drew 0-0 and won in PKs, then won 2-1 before losing to Miami 4-3 in the Leagues Cup. They’ve been slightly improved but it’s still only 3 regulation wins in 16 games and only 3 clean sheets in 14 games.
Also both Insigne and Bernardeschi are questionable with injuries. Toronto could possibly be looking ahead to Tuesday’s Canadian Championship Semifinal as well which they need to win after losing Leg 1.
They’ll travel to Houston where the Dynamo are 6-4-3 in 13 but 1 of those defeats came via PKs in their last game in the Leagues Cup Round of 32. So it’s only 2 regulation losses in 13 games in all matches. Only once in 15 games (Atlas) have they failed to at least score once.
Houston has also added new attackers in Ezequiel Ponce and Lawrence Ennali.
If I’m picking a winner, Houston is the team in better form and playing at home but both have been off for some time now and could be rusty. So I’ll just ask Houston to score.
- MLS Predictions: Houston to score
- Parlay Picks: CHA vs NY under 3.5 / NYC to score / HOU to score (-128)
MLS Picks and Parlays #3
Sporting Kansas City vs Orlando City SC Prediction
SKC beat Chicago 2-1, lost to Toluca 2-1 and then got routed 4-0 by Columbus in the Leagues Cup. So it’s just 1 win in 5 games for Peter Vermes’ side.
They added a new CB in Joaquin Fernandez since they need all the help they can get defensively. Willy Agada hasn’t scored in 2 games but he has 6 goals in 8 games and always seems to score at Children’s Mercy Park.
SKC have scored in 25/28 and conceded in 26/28. BTTS bets for SKC this season have gone 26-5 in all comps. Plus the BTTS & Over 2.5 has gone 12-5 and the BTTS alone 14-3 in recent SKC games too.
Orlando also only lasted 3 games in the tournament with a 4-1 win over Montreal, 1-1 draw and PK win over San Luis and then a 0-0 draw and PK loss to Cruz Azul.
That makes Orlando still undefeated in regulation in 8 games with only 1 true loss in 11. Drawing Cruz Azul 0-0 is the only time they’ve not scored in 12 games and the only time their games had not seen at least 2+ total goals in 12 as well. Ramiro Enrique is heating up with 6 goals in 7 games as well.
- MLS Predictions: Both Teams to Score
Real Salt Lake vs San Jose Earthquakes Prediction
RSL were in and out of Leagues Cup with a 2-1 win and 3-0 loss. They’ve been slumping at 1-1-3 but did miss Chicho Arango for 4 games through suspension.
This team is still 5th in the Supporters’ Shield race though and 8-1-2 at home in MLS.
RSL suffered a blow over the break, losing Andres Gomez, their 2nd leading scorer with 13 goals, sold to Rennes in France.
But they do add a #10 in Diogo Goncalves from Copenhagen and winger Dominik Marczuk from Jagiellonia Bialystok in Poland. His visa may or may not be ready for this weekend though.
San Jose lasted longer in Leagues Cup reaching the Round of 16, drawing 1-1 (PK win), losing 2-1, winning 5-0 and then losing 4-1 to LAFC.
They don’t win often with just 7 wins in all comps across 31 games, and 1 of those was in PKs. They often score, doing so in 23/31, but they’re basically a lock to concede, being scored on in 28/31. Only 4 times in 31 games have their games not seen at least 2 or more goals. 21/31 have seen 3 or more.
There’s been lots of BTTS between these teams over the years with 6/7 seeing the BTTS and Over 2.5 hitting, including both last season, 3-1 for RSL at home and 2-1 for SJ at home.
It’s BTTS or an RSL win for me.
- MLS Predictions: RSL to win
- Parlay Picks: SKC vs ORL btts / RSL win (+120)
MLS Picks and Parlays #4
Two late games here at 10:30pm EST.
LA Galaxy vs Atlanta United Prediction
LA are 1st in the West, while Atlanta 9th in the East.
Since 2019 these teams have only played twice and not since 2022 so there’s not much relevant head-to-head stats. The last game was in LA and was 2-0 LA though. But the teams are much different 2 years later.
But the current versions of these teams still sees LA the better team.
LA has only 4 losses in 19 games, but 1 came in their last game, getting knocked out of the Leagues Cup 3-1 to Seattle. Other tournament games saw LA win 2-1 and draw 2-2, winning in PKs. LA has now scored 2+ goals in 4/5. But the BTTS & Over 2.5 is 5-0 and 7-1.
Defense is still an issue conceding in 8 straight.
Atlanta’s time in Leagues Cup was short-lived, drawing 3-3 and losing in PKs and drawing 0-0 and again losing in PKs. Technically they have not lost in regulation in 4 overall games but it’s still just 1 win 8 games.
They do bring in a new #10 in Alexey Miranchuk from Atalanta.
But then LA made a splash of their own signing ex-Dortmund star Marco Reus who’s scored 156 goals and can replace some of the missing offense from the injured Dejan Jovelic.
LA to win or to score 2.
- MLS Predictions: LA Galaxy over 1.5
Portland Timbers vs St. Louis City SC Prediction
St. Louis has been dreadful all season. But if you didn’t watch Leagues Cup, they brought in some new faces and did make a bit of a run in the tournament. Marcel Hartel, Cedric Teuchert and Simon Becher all came in and all scored during the tournament. In total, 9 players came in and 6 went out during the recent transfer window.
St. Louis beat Dallas 2-1, drew Juarez 1-1 and lost in PKs, beat Portland 3-1 and then lost to Club America 4-2 but were leading in that game for a long time. So it’s now only 1 regulation loss in their last 5 games.
When these met in the Cup in St. Louis, it was Teuchert, Hartel and Becher who all scored, St. Louis had the edge in shots, 18-11, while both had 5 on target and Claudio Bravo was the only Timber to find the scoresheet.
Other scorelines between them were 0-0 in June and 2-1 road wins for each team last year.
St. Louis halted Portland’s tournament after 2-1 and 4-0 wins. Portland are 9-2-3 in all comps of late and are always capable of scoring. They had scored multiple goals in 9 straight prior to the St. Louis loss. They could be missing an injured Evander here which is a big loss, but they still have plenty of offense.
Their games always see goals, with goal totals of 4, 4, 3, 5, 3, 5, 5, 5, 2 and 3 in their past 10. At 20-5 to Over 2.5 totals, they’re tied for the highest Over-rate with Miami. The 3.7 GPM in their games is tied for the 2nd highest.
- MLS Predictions: Both Teams to Score
- Parlay Picks: LA over 1.5 / POR vs STL btts (+118)
Leagues Cup Predictions
Philadelphia Union vs Colorado Rapids Prediction
In the Leagues Cup Philly won 1-0 over Charlotte, drew 1-1 (PK loss) to Cruz Azul, beat Montreal 2-0, beat Cincinnati 4-2, and drew 1-1 (PK win) over Mazatlan.
Into the semifinals and Diego Rossi scored early just 12 minutes in, before Philly equalled through Daniel Gazdag in 32’, but Rossi added a 2nd in the 43’ and Cucho a 3rd for the Crew in the 53’ in what ended in a 3-1 Columbus win.
The Union were missing Tai Baribo who has 5 tournament goals but was suspended for last game and returns here.
The Union now have just 1 loss in regulation in 8 games. They’ve also scored in 11/12.
Over to the Rapids who lost to Portland 4-0, drew Leon 1-1 (PK win), beat Juarez 3-2, beat Toluca 2-1, drew Club America 0-0 (PK win) and then went to the semis in LA vs LAFC and were run off the pitch 4-0.
LAFC piled up the shot attempts leading 24-8 and 10-3 in shots on target and scored in the 42’, 45’, 59’ and 75’ minutes.
Rapids’ games usually see goals. The 0-0 vs Club America was an outlier.
They had allowed a goal in 11 straight prior and after the LAFC game it’s a goal conceded in 16/19.
In MLS, 25/27 Colorado games have seen 2+ goals, so too have 5/6 in Leagues Cup. 4/6 in the tournament have seen 3 or more. While Colorado has now been shut out in back-to-back games, they have scored in 8/11 and 23/27.
Last year Philly won 2-1 in Colorado and in 2022 the Union won 6-0 at home.
The Union made it this far last season in this tournament and beat Monterrey 3-0 to earn a Champions Cup spot.
This time I’ll say this could be tight. I’d give Philly the edge at home, or perhaps the draw.
In a parlay, I’d like Philly to simply score.
- MLS Predictions: Philly to win
Columbus Crew vs LAFC Prediction
The Leagues Cup Final is a rematch of the MLS Cup Final which saw Columbus win 2-1 at home, which is where they’ll be here too. This season they met in a rematch in LA and it was all Columbus in a 5-1 route. Ramirez had a brace, each of Cucho, Rossi and Matan added one, and LAFC’s only goal came late in the 85’ minute.
Switch over to this current tournament and the Crew entered in the Round of 32 and beat SKC 4-0, Inter Miami 3-2, drew NYCFC 1-1 (PK win) and then won again last game at home over Philly 3-1 with 2 goals from Rossi and 1 from Cucho.
Diego Rossi has 11G/5A in his last 11 games.
Columbus is now 9-1-1 in 11 outscoring opponents 33-9 in that time.
The Crew are 6th in the Supporters’ Shield race, own the top defense in all of MLS, have only lost once at home and have only allowed 7 goals when playing at Lower.com Field in the regular season.
LAFC needed to go through the Group Stage and so far beat Tijuana 3-0, drew Vancouver 2-2 (PK loss), beat Austin 2-0, beat San Jose 4-1, beat Seattle 3-0 and then routed Colorado last game 4-0.
LAFC opened the scoring in the 42’ from Bogusz and kept going with goals from Kamara, Bouanga and new signing Lewis O’Brien to follow. They piled up 24 shot attempts and 10 on target.
Bouanga is tied in 1st for Leagues Cup scoring with 6 goals alongside Rossie of Columbus and tied in 2nd for assists with 3. Cristian Olivera is tied for 4th in scoring with 4 goals himself, and we’re not even considering Olivier Giroud is still slowly working his way into the lineup.
LAFC is now 18-2-2 in 22 overall matches and have scored multiple goals in 17/22. But defensively they’ve been equally impressive with clean sheets in back-to-back games, in 3/4 and 4/6 this tournament.
Both teams have been equally in good form and both from an offensive and defensive perspective. So I think the instinct is to bet on goals. But finals can be tight and both are good defensively. Crew at home have an edge, but LAFC have revenge on their minds and the Crew have given up goals to Miami, New York and Philly, so certainly LA can score too. Both teams have too many stars to see shutouts for me.
- MLS Predictions: Both Teams to Score & Over 2.5 (-125)
Ryan Métivier is a seasoned editor, writer and communications professional with years of experience in all fields. When it comes to covering sports, he’s written for numerous outlets and organizations including the OHL, CHL, SportsXpress, Sports Betting Dime, Cleveland.com, MassLive, FanSided and others.
While he’ll always cheer for his hometown Toronto teams, when it comes to betting, his only allegiance is his bankroll. Ryan specializes in global soccer, the NFL and the NHL, but if there is a bet to be made, he’ll make it. As the founder of Shred The Spread, Ryan focuses on combining storylines, trends, analytics and good bankroll management to creating simple bets that make sense.
When not making a case for why both teams will score in an MLS soccer match, he can be found focusing his efforts on fitness, attempting to learn Spanish, cooking or planning his travel adventure.
