MLS Predictions, Odds Week 2: Austin vs Montreal, Miami vs Philadelphia & More

• MLS Week 2 sees all 14 games kicking off on Saturday, March 4, 2023
• Get our top MLS picks for Austin vs Montreal, Inter Miami vs Philadelphia and more
• See all of the MLS odds plus our top MLS predictions for Week 2 below

Saturday sees a heavy slate of MLS action with 28 of 29 teams playing across 14 games. The action kicks off at 4:30 pm EST with LAFC hosting Portland. We have the best bets for this match and more MLS predictions for Week 2 here.

Not the best start in our MLS picks going 1-2 last week. Austin suffered a shocking home defeat to expansion side St Louis City, while SKC dominated much of the Monday nighter but couldn’t score, losing 1-0. Luckily, two of the three worst defensive teams from last season (DC and TFC), owned that identity and allowed a combined five goals (3-2 DC). After Week 1 our record is 1-2, -1.39 units.

For sports bettors in Ohio and Massachusetts, this year offers the chance to bet on your local teams. Legalized Ohio sports betting launched earlier this year. Meanwhile, be sure to claim this FanDuel Massachusetts pre-registration offer to be ready for the state launch on March 10, 2023. In Week 2 Columbus will host DC, while Cincinnati travels to Orlando. New England will be hosting Houston.

Three teams will be making their debuts this week as Chicago was off in Week 1 and the Galaxy vs LAFC game was postponed due to inclement weather. Below you’ll find the MLS odds for every Week 2 matchup.

MLS Odds Week 2

LAFC gets their season rolling with the first game on the slate as the biggest Week 1 favorites at home against Portland as -245 odds. Atlanta and New England are also heavy odds-on favorites at home. St Louis City plays their first home match at CITYPARK as slight +145 favorites against last year’s newcomers Charlotte. This game, as well as Orlando vs Cincinnati, New York vs Nashville and Chicago vs NYCFC all have the shortest draw odds in the table above. And honestly, I could see some if not all of those games with draw potential. Odds from March 3 at DraftKings Sportsbook.

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MLS Predictions Week 2

Here are our top MLS picks for this weekend. We have two straight up picks plus an MLS parlay bet for Week 2.

Austin FC vs CF Montreal Prediction

Two teams off of a loss in Week 1 meet here in Week 2. Austin was shocked at home 3-2 to expansion side St Louis City SC. Montreal lost 2-0 on the road in Miami with new head coach Hernan Losada on the sidelines.

Losada is not expected to run a possession-based style in Montreal. But Montreal actually controlled the possession in Week 1 (56 percent), however, they were up against another team that doesn’t hold much possession. Inter Miami averaged 47.4-percent possession last season. Austin dominated the ball against expansion side St Louis (59 percent), which is to be expected. But they also were a heavily-possession-based team last season as well, averaging 55.2 percent, the fifth-highest in the league.

Miami sent 18 attempts on the Montreal goal, landing seven on target, while also totalling 15 crosses. If Austin is the team controlling the play, they should be able to create plenty of scoring opportunities. They had 13 attempts (two on target) and 20 crosses against St Louis but gave up an own goal early and late goals in the 78′ and 86′ minutes in the loss. If Austin gets ahead I’m not sure Montreal has the offense to leave Q2 with any points.

Austin beat Montreal 1-0 on the road last season in the only-ever meeting between these sides.

• MLS Predictions: Austin FC to win (+110); risk 1 unit at Caesars Sportsbook

"There's a certain amount of, I don't want to say selfishness or grittiness, but he just wants to score goals. That's a really powerful thing.” 😤

Julián Carranza made a big impact for @PhilaUnion in Week 1: https://t.co/UAc67QOFCD

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 2, 2023

Inter Miami vs Philadelphia Union Prediction

I don’t love betting on road teams to win in MLS but this may be an exception this week. These teams have met on six previous occasions and the Union holds the advantage with a 3-2-1 (WDL) record. They won in Miami last year by a 2-1 scoreline in July.

Both teams got off to good starts to the season with Miami beating Montreal 2-0 at home and Philly winning 4-1 at home to Columbus. Miami got the win without Leo Campana (scratched at game time with a calf injury and his status is still uncertain). Montreal also lacks top-end talent right now. The Union do not. After falling behind early from an own goal, Philadelphia got rolling with two goals each from Daniel Gazdag and Julian Carranza. They put five shots on target, scoring four goals, while only allowing the Crew to get two shots on target. Despite Columbus holding 59 percent of possession.

Miami made the playoffs last year but gave up the third-most goals (56) in the conference and I just don’t see them having enough to go toe-to-toe with Philly when making our Inter Miami vs Philadelphia Union prediction.

• MLS Predictions: Philadelphia to win (+114); risk 1 unit at Caesars Sportsbook

MLS Week 2 Parlay Picks

Here’s a two-teamer for this weekend as part of our MLS predictions.

LAFC vs Portland Timbers Prediction

With their season opener postponed due to weather, LAFC kicks off their season Saturday afternoon against Portland. The Timbers were out-xG’d 1.2 to 0.5 versus SKC last week but somehow came away with a 1-0 win. Hard not to see LAFC, last year’s second-highest scoring team and top team in xG doing the same at home to Portland Week 2. If that happens, there should be some goals, even without the goals of the departed Christian Arango, last year’s top scorer for LAFC.

Across all competitions these teams have met 16 times and only twice have there been fewer than two goals scored. Last year the teams tied 1-1 and LAFC won 2-0 in league play, while LAFC also won 2-0 in the US Open Cup.

As if it was going to be anyone else…

Thiago Almada wins the first @ATT 5G Goal of the Matchday of the year. 🥇 https://t.co/oQSSWYSYPd pic.twitter.com/bf9JsWOpIS

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 2, 2023

Atlanta United vs Toronto FC Prediction

New year, new defenders, new keepers and yet still same old Toronto. TFC did enough to win last week in DC, leading 2-1 late into the game. But then the defense imploded, allowing goals in the 90′ and 98′ minutes to lose 3-2. Atlanta did the opposite. Down 1-0 to San Jose in stoppage time, Thiago Almada scored the tying and winning goals in the 93′ and 99′ minutes to steal all three points.

Last season both teams won at home, Atlanta 4-2 and Toronto 2-1. Both teams play questionable defense at best allowing 54 and 66 goals (Atlanta/Toronto respectively) last season but have the attacking talent to find the back of the net as well. Atlanta’s new striker  Giorgos Giakoumakis is also likely to make his debut this week. Let’s bank on that continuing into Week 2 for our MLS predictions.

• MLS Parlay Picks: LAFC vs Portland over 1.5 / Atlanta vs Toronto FC both to score (-124); risk 1 unit at Caesars Sportsbook