It’s hard to believe how fast the new season has been flying for Major League Soccer, but plenty of teams are making a big-time splash thus far. It goes without saying, but countless eyes have been on Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, as the club is still hoping to win the title for the first time ever. Will that go down this year? Potentially, as Inter Miami remains a strong favorite to win the 2025 MLS Cup.
Entering the season, Miami was considered by many to be the clear front runner to lift the title at the end of the season, but the fact of the matter is that the team hasn’t been able to live up to the hype in recent years. Messi arriving in the MLS was historic, especially after he helped Argentina win the last World Cup. The MLS crown still evades him, though, which is what he’s hoping to change this year.
| MLS Cup odds |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami to win | +450 | +450 | +450 |
| Cincinnati to win | +650 | +650 | +650 |
| Vancouver to win | +750 | +750 | +750 |
| San Diego to win | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
“He transcends soccer,” Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano said after a recent brilliant performance from Messi. “In the end, any fan of sports – of sports, not just of soccer – feels admiration for this class of athlete; Leo Messi, Michael Jordan in his time, Rafa Nadal – people who have transcended their sport.”
According to the best betting sites, Messi and Inter Miami hold +450 soccer betting odds to win the championship this year. There’s a loaded field of other top contenders who are hoping to prevent that from going down. Messi isn’t getting any younger and he must know that the window is starting to close a bit on him winning it all. We think it will be a year to remember for him. We’re picking Miami to win it all.
As you might have been able to guess, FC Cincinnati is considered Miami’s biggest threat for the 2025 MLS Cup. Cincinnati is in the middle of a brilliant season in 2025. As a matter of fact, they’re in first place of the Eastern Conference with 48 points, one point ahead of second-place Nashville. Miami is in fifth place, but that doesn’t mean they’re not still a major threat. Can Cincinnati go on a deep run this year too?
“Very pleased for the guys,” Noonan said after a recent win over Real Salt Lake. “It was a very disciplined, controlled performance in how we defended the ball and how we were able to create some chances. The missing piece was that last action, the last pass or cross, or moment to dribble, but I’m really, really pleased. That was a good team performance, and there were a lot of guys that played an important role.”
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According to the oddsmakers, Cincinnati holds +650 MLS betting odds, which isn’t too far behind Inter Miami. Could these two sides end up meeting in the Eastern Conference Finals with a trip to the MLS Cup on the line? We wouldn’t be surprised at all if that were to happen. We’re sticking with Miami as our pick to win the title, but Cincy will also be set to make a ton of noise here too.
While we’ve focused quite a bit on Eastern Conference powers in this piece, keep in mind that Vancouver is the favorite to win the Western Conference this season. The Whitecaps have been on fire this year, really impressing a lot of people across the country. Entering the year, not many people thought they’d be as dominant as they’ve looked at times out on the pitch.
What makes Vancouver so dangerous is the fact that they have a balanced attack on offense, but this team also has plenty of talent on the defensive end. This provides opposing teams with plenty of problems when it comes to trying to prepare for a matchup with Vancouver. They’re hoping to keep playing at a high level with the postseason getting here before we know it.
As of this writing, Vancouver is in second place out West, trailing San Diego by only a point. The Whitecaps hold +1000 odds to win the MLS Cup via the best MLS betting sites , but +150 odds to win the Western Conference. The Wave are hoping to win the WC, but something tells us the Whitecaps are going to get that job done. Yup, we’re going with Vancouver as our pick to win the Western Conference.
About the Author
Braulio Perez has been writing about sports professionally since graduating from Washington State in 2011. A fan of all major leagues in the USA, he’s also a supporter of the English Premier League and international soccer.
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