What Are Bookmakers Looking Into For Major League Soccer In Late 2016?

Major League Soccer has been changing quite a bit over the years. The team has twenty teams and is expected to expand to 22 in 2017 and then to 24 the year after that. Even with this, there are plenty of topics that bookmakers are looking at with regards to what will happen in the top level of competition in the United States and Canada.

• Is This Dallas’ Year?

FC Dallas has never won an MLS Cup but the Toros are aiming to get their first title since the side was formed in 1995. FC Dallas holds an impressive roster with Michael Barrios leading the side in goals with nine. Mauro Diaz also has 12 assists this year.

• Will the Red Bulls Keep Going?

The New York Red Bulls have been rather competitive in recent time. Bradley Wright-Phillips has especially been a big star for the side with 21 goals, the most of any player in the league. Sacha Jljestan also leads the league in assists with 17.

The Bulls have gone fourteen straight matches without a loss to help them get a better playoff seed. The side has especially benefitted from Toronto FC struggling at home as a means of climbing up to the top of the standings in their division. This should make it to where bookmakers will be more confident in giving them better odds as the playoffs go along this year.

• Competition In New York

The Red Bulls are not the only side in New York to look at. New York City FC has 51 points in the standings, the same as the Red Bulls. However, the Red Bulls have a goal differential that is ten goals better than what NYCFC has, thus giving the Bulls a clear advantage in the tiebreaker category. This will make for a rather entertaining form of competition.

• Toronto’s Injury Concern Is Important

Toronto FC has 49 points in the standings and a secure spot in the playoffs. Even so, TFC has been in trouble with Sebastian Giovinco being injured. Giovinco has 16 goals and 13 assists and had been a strong candidate to be the most valuable player in the league prior to his recent injury.

TFC particularly has a winless streak of five matches at BMO Field at the end of the season. This is paired with a 1-1-3 streak near the end of the season. While the side had already clinched a playoff spot, this hurt the side’s playoff standing substantially, thus putting their road to the MLS Cup down a difficult path. Giovinco has been a critical striker for TFC throughout the year, thus making his absence even more substantial in terms of what is happening within the sport.

• Will Relegation Ever Occur?

Bookmakers have been anxiously trying to see if MLS will ever establish a relegation system like with other soccer leagues around the world. This especially comes as the Chicago Fire has less than one point per match in its 31 matches and has a -16 goal differential. These are by far the worst totals in the league.

The fact that MLS is expanding is intriguing but at the same time there are concerns over whether the lack of relegation and promotion will be a problem in the future. This is a consideration that many fans and bookmakers are looking into.

The rest of the 2016 MLS season will be very entertaining and interesting to all fans of the sport. Be sure to check out the top bookmakers around to see who you can bet on MLS matches with and to see what special bonus offers are available from these different groups. The options for betting will certainly be appealing to all fans of the sport.