The MLS (Major League Soccer) is one of the newest football leagues in the world, having only been established back in 1996, with some of the oldest clubs in the UK, for example, dating over 150 years ago. Prior to this, there was the NALS, or North American Soccer League, but a decision was instead taken by the US Soccer Federation as part of its bid and journey to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup to create a new super-league called the MLS.
On its debut season, there were ten teams in total; this has since, to the present day, grown to a total of 29 teams. When it comes to the top teams in the league, there are two that share the top spot with five titles each to their name, and that is both LA Galaxy and DC United.
Who are the defending champions?
Although it’s not the history of the MLS that we’re looking at today, rather we are going to be looking at the future, namely at the remainder of this season, and looking ahead at who are the favourites currently at the top sportsbooks on bitedge.com and whether any of these tips or suggestions are worth a punt.
The defending champions of the league are the Columbus Crew, off the back of the previous season. Their home is the Lower.com Field, which is based in Columbus, Ohio, and holds just over 20,000 fans. As the United States is so large geographically, to make logistics easier, the competition is split into the Eastern and Western Conferences.
Who are the sportsbooks tipping?
And so are the sports bookies favourites to lift the trophy this season? Well, believe it or not, a lot of them don’t have the defending champion Columbus Crew as favourites; instead, they have opted for Inter Miami. They have caught the headlines and burst into the limelight ever since they signed Lionel Messi, whom many consider one of the best players, if not the best of all time.
They are also well known due to one of their owners, namely David Beckham, who made his name in the MLS playing for the LA Galaxy and earlier in his career at the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester United. They have also quickly grown to become the second-most valuable franchise in the league behind Los Angeles FC, with a valuation of just over $1 billion.
The new kids on the block
So how has the hype compared to the form for Inter Miami? Well, at the time of writing, they sit in 2nd place in the Eastern Conference, just a point behind Cincinnati, having taken 47 points from 23 games, including 14 wins, 5 draws, and just 4 losses.
This leaves them an impressive margin ahead of the defending champion Columbus Crew, who are sitting back at 39. With not many games left to go, it really does look like it’s going to go down to the wire between these top two in order to clinch top place in this particular conference. However, with the players that Inter Miami have on their roster who are used to playing under this level of pressure, they should have the stamina and persistence to see their rivals off.
Who could they be facing off against?
And now looking over to the Western Conference, you have three teams that are currently tied on points with one another, the derby rivals of LAFC and LA Galaxy sitting in first and third, respectively, split by Real Salt Lake in the middle. And of course, five-time winners LA Galaxy are currently sitting as favourites with the bookmakers in the Western Conference, which could ultimately lead to a final between both LA Galaxy and Inter Miami FC if what pundits are predicting comes true.
But, of course, between now and the end of the season, anything could happen. The season will wrap itself up around the end of October, and the final is being held on December 7th. It is yet to be seen where it will be hosted, as it will be hosted by the highest-seeded team.
In Summary
As with everything in life, nothing is guaranteed. What we have mentioned today and what the bookmakers are currently putting as the most likely to happen might not, in fact. Any team can quickly succumb to a plethora of injuries and suddenly find that their form has gone out the window.
Although the general consensus is that everyone wants to see the big giants of the LA Galaxy go up against the new kids on the block, Beckham’s Inter Miami FC, in the final, However, it is going to be really exciting to see a close end to the season in both conferences.