With the MLS season beginning to enter the business stage of the campaign, the Leagues Cup semi-final is also upon us which will see Inter Miami CF take on Orlando City this week.
In 2024 it was Colombus Crew who won the title, defeating LAFC in the final, but this year Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami are the favorites to lift the trophy, but they must first navigate a difficult semi-final clash.
We’ll take a look at the match and provide you with our best free soccer betting picks to see if we can earn you some extra cash, while you enjoy the action on the pitch.
Check out the best MLS betting sites here.
Javier Mascherano’s side have had a decent start to the season and reached the knockout stages of the Leagues Cup after winning two out of three of their group stage games.
The opening game of the tournament saw them take on Mexican side Atlas where Telasco Segovia opened the scoring, before Jose Lozano equalised with just ten minutes remaining. But Miami did a great job and never gave up, eventually scoring the winning goal in the 96th minute through ‘Chelo’ Weigandt.
The second game saw a clash against another Mexican outfit in Necaxa, where more late action earned them the result. Segovia opened the scoring once more, before Max Falcon was sent off after just 17 minutes. Tomas Badaloni equalised before Cristian Calderon was sent off. Ricardo Monreal then gave Necaxa the lead in the 81st minute before Jordi Alba equalised in injury time to take hte game to penalties, where they won 5-4.
The final group game saw Inter Miami claim a dominant 3-1 win over UNAM, as Rodrigo De Paul, Luis Suarez and Tadeo Allende netted. The quarter-final win over UANL followed thanks to a Luis Suarez brace in a 2-1 win last week to set up this match.
Orlando opened up their Leagues Cup campaign with a disappointing defeat on penalties against UNAM, having drawn 1-1 over 90 minutes following Rodrigo Schlegel‘s opening goal, which was cancelled out by a late Adalberto Carrasquilla strike. Cesar Araujo missed the crucial penalty as they fell to a 5-4 defeat.
Their second game saw Orlando claim a 3-1 win over Atlas, thanks to goals from Ivan Angulo, Marin Ojeda and Marco Pasalic, which came after the Mexican side’s goalscorer Matias Coccaro was sent off in stoppage time.
Orland City then claimed a stunning 5-1 win in their third and final group game against Necaxa as Ojeda scored twice and still saw the spotlight stolen from him, as Colombia international Luis Muriel netted a first-half hat-trick to help the team progress into the quarter-finals.
That knockout stage game saw Oscar Pareja’s side take on Toluca and battle to a hard-fought 0-0 draw over 90 minutes before claiming the victory on penalties, as goalkeeper Pedro Gallese saved two in a row before scoring his own spot-kick to send his side into the semi-finals.
Check out our review for BetUS sports betting here.
Both of these teams are good when it comes to scoring goals, but Orlando are also good at conceding goals in the same games and that opens this bet up.
In eight of the last ten games Orlando have played this bet has come in, while Inter Miami are set to welcome star man Lionel Messi back into the lineup after he was rested against DC United last time out in their 1-1 draw.
The World Cup winner and consensus G.O.A.T has been nothing short of a success since arriving in Florida with 89 goal contributions in 69 appearances for Sir David Beckham’s club. Both teams also rested the vast majority of their stars at the weekend, with Miami also only using Suarez, De Paul, Sergio Busquets and Rodriguez as substitutes.
It should also be noted that four of the last five games between these sides have seen three or more goals scored, so at -212 odds this is a great bet.
Check out our review for Bovada sports betting here.
The greatest of all-time is best known for keeping his best performances and biggest moments for the biggest occasions, and while this is minor in the landscape of his career, for Inter Miami, this is a huge game.
Messi will be well rested following his absence at the weekend in the MLS, and should come into this game as the main man that all of the Inter Miami attacks will run through.
If Orlando City choose to get aggressive and try to stop him progressing in and around the penalty area, then it should also be noted that Messi is the club’s set-piece taker for free-kicks and penalties, meaning his opportunities to find the back of the net will be constant.
Getting a player of Messi’s calibre to score at odds this short feels like stealing, so take it while you can.
About the Author
Daniel is a football writer who has a great thirst for the Premier League and other major European leagues. A lover of the beautiful game and a firm believer that the eye test is better than statistics. Also an avid MMA fan.
Read Daniel's ProfileAsk Daniel about this guide:
