The opening weekend in the MLS 2024 season concludes with a triple header of action on Sunday evening as five more teams begin their campaign and another plays for a second time on what looks an enjoyable night of football.
As always this season, all three matches are live on Apple TV via the MLS Season Pass but if you are not a subscriber to that you can access all three games via the bookmaker live streams, although you might need to be a night owl to watch the third one.
FC Cincinnati vs Toronto FC (19.30)
The opening match of the night sees the Supporters’ Shield holders FC Cincinnati beginning a new campaign when they host one of the most disappointing teams of last season in Toronto FC, who simply have to offer much more than they did last term.
Cincinnati go into this match off the back of a good win in the Champions Cup on Thursday night but they played their strongest team in that game so you wonder if they will feel heavy legs this early in the season at some point in this match. That should be music to the ears of the Toronto FC players, who have to be so much better than they were last season and it will be interesting to see how together John Herdman has got his charges and whether he has been able to install the same attacking approach his Canada side had when he was in charge of them. If he has then you could argue this match is one of the best defensive teams in MLS against what should be one of the better attacking units in it but I want to see how Toronto perform before I really get stuck into them. With Cincinnati having played in midweek I’m in no rush to back them to win big so this is an easy one to sit out.
Special Offer
Open a new Sporting Index account and bet £10 on the MLS (min odds 1/2) to get £20 in free bets (2x£10 free bets) to use on any sports market! Click the image below to take advantage of this great offer! 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Responsibly.
Nashville SC vs New York Red Bulls (22.00)
The middle match of the three on Sunday evening sees two more Eastern Conference teams going at it at GEODIS Park when the Leagues Cup finalists Nashville SC play host to a New York Red Bulls side who are expected to be hugely improved this term.
One of the reasons for that, as I eluded to in the outright preview, is the addition of Emil Forsburg and it will be interesting to see how he goes against a defensively astute side such as Nashville SC. Nashville had Champions Cup action to contend with in midweek, where as you would expect they named a strong team so the home side could have one or two heavy legs here. Even if they don’t I really like the look of the Red Bulls under Sandro Schwarz and with so much more attacking elements to their side now I think New York can get something from this. I don’t expect Nashville to be easy to beat but the longer it goes the more New York should dominate. The Red Bulls have never lost to Nashville in five meetings and Nashville have only scored once in that time so New York have the recipe for beating Nashville and if there is a winner in this one I expect it to be them.
LA Galaxy vs Inter Miami (02.00)
The marquee match of the three on Sunday night is the one which sees David Beckham taking his Inter Miami side back to where it all started for him in MLS in terms of LA Galaxy with the home side opening their campaign in this one.
Miami got their season started with a pretty convincing win over Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night but they did offer up some chances to their opponent and LA Galaxy will have watched on and like the idea of feasting on those, especially if new signings Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec are available from the start. They are not going to be short of chances with Riqui Puig pulling the strings. We know all about the attacking talent that Miami have at their disposal and they could have had many more than the two they did against Real Salt Lake had it not been for some indifferent finishing and given the magnitude of the game and the status of it I fancy we will see some goals in this one. The goal line is over 3.25 in this one and I expect that to be covered in what should be a showcase of attacking football.
Tips
Back New York Red Bulls (0AH) to beat Nashville SC for a 3/10 stake at 2.10 with Bet365
Back LA Galaxy vs Inter Miami – Over 3.25 goals for a 3/10 stake at 1.95 with Bet365
