The MLS season is back after an amazing season last year, in which Lionel Messi arrived in the league to help Inter Miami CF as Columbus Crew claimed their first championship since 2020.
This year there are set to be several teams making a push towards title contention, with new stars and big transfers taking place during the off-season to strengthen the teams around them.
We'll take a look ahead to the new season and provide you with our best free soccer picks to see if we can earn you some extra cash ahead of what is set to be an exciting Major League Soccer season.
| MLS Futures 2024 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inter Miami CF | +260 | +260 | +260 |
| Columbus Crew | +700 | +700 | +700 |
| Los Angeles FC | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| New York Red Bulls | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| FC Cincinnati | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
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MLS Cup 2024 favorites
Below you'll find a list of favorites to win the 2024 MLS Cup.
Inter Miami CF - (+260)
The clear favorites to go on to win the MLS Cup this year are Inter Miami, and that's because they have the best squad of every team in the division.
After signing arguably the best player of all time in Lionel Messi midway through last season, David Beckham's franchise have since added his former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez as well as highly-rated youngster Fernando Redondo.
Since Messi joined the club last season the team have won 14 of 18 games that he has played in, and while he has had a tough time with injuries recently his record shows he usually stays fit. If he can do that in Miami, they will win the league.
But even without him, they have so much more quality in their squad than they did then that they will still be heavily favoured to win games all season. With so much experience of winning things at the very highest level, plus experience playing together and with their quality, it's hard to look past a first championship for the franchise this season.
Check out our review for Bovada sports betting here.
Columbus Crew - (+700)
The reigning MLS Cup champions have had a quiet but overall successful offseason for two main reasons: They haven't lost any key players from the previous season and kept hold of head coach Wilfried Nancy for a second season at the helm.
Nancy wasn't predicted to leave Columbus in the winter, but the way in which he guided them to glory in his first season no doubt caught attention from European sides and possibly even national teams. But Nancy is set to lead the Crew to more success this season along with the main group of players that played their part, too.
While they're definitely going to be a big threat to become repeat champions after their performances in 2023, they don't have any real stars in the squad and that could let them down in the run-in.
Check out our review for BetOnline sports betting here.
Los Angeles FC - (+800)
LA FC were the reigning champions last year and then made it to the final once again where they were beaten by Columbus.
They since went out and brought in their own quality with former Tottenham and France keeper Hugo Lloris joining, to add real quality and leadership to the team. While past his best these days, he is still a clear upgrade on the previous first-choice goalkeeper and that could be a big help to them making the final once again.
LA still has the 2023 MLS Golden Boot winner in Denis Bouanga also after his 20-goal season last year, which saw him finish three goals clear of his closest competitor for the award. But they have lost influential captain and all-time top scorer Carlos Vela, who left after his contract expired.
With a massive defensive upgrade and clear offense, LAFC can easily nab the title and they are one of the few sides who can compete with the star power of Inter Miami.
Oh, don't forget they won it two years ago and were the runners-up last year. They've got a title-challenger's pedigree.
New York Red Bulls - (+1200)
It'll be tricky, but we expect New York Red Bulls will just about snatch a postseason place to feature in the Wild Card round with new signing Emil Forsberg and first-year boss Sandro Schwarz to keep their playoff streak alive.
2024 is very much a transition season for Red Bulls, but Forsberg could provide the spark needed to push them over the line and create a real moment in MLS Cup playoffs history.
With that said, they had some struggles last season that haven't really been properly addressed and seeing them fail to make the post-season wouldn't be a shock either.
FC Cincinnati - (+1400)
FC Cincinnati are still a strong side that will compete in 2024, but their squad won't be as sharp after the departures of Brandon Vazquez to Monterrey and Yerson Mosquera back to his parent club Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Orange and Blue still have the reigning MVP in Lucho Acosta, while also bringing in Corey Baird to replace Vazquez and Miles Robinson to take up the right-sided center-back role.
Cincinnati didn't have a terrible window, but they are still missing greater depth and quality in key areas and they have more of a chance of success in cup competitions such as the Supporters' Shield rather than winning the league title.
