One of the more unique things about Major League Soccer is its year-to-year unpredictability. There are always teams who become playoff contenders whom few foresee when the season begins. And 2022 is no different.
That's reflected in the most recent MLS Cup futures odds from BetMGM, with several teams upgraded from preseason as Week 8 arrives.
No club has moved more than Houston Dynamo FC, who have lost only once in their first seven games under new manager Paulo Nagamura and enter Saturday's Texas Derby (3 pm ET | Univision, TUDN, Twitter) tied on points with FC Dallas for fourth in the Western Conferences standings.
Bettors on Houston before the season at +10000 odds would make $10,000 in profit from a $100 bet should the Dynamo go on to win MLS Cup. Now they can only make half that on +5000 odds.
The second-biggest movers are Austin FC, who set a record by scoring 10 goals in their first two matches of a season and currently sit second in the West, and a CF Montréal side who have won three in a row and scored an Eastern Conference-high 13 goals.
Curiously, the betting market apparently likes D.C. United's start a lot more than the club's front office. The Black-and-Red's price has shortened from +5000 odds to +3300, despite a recent four-match slide that resulted in Hernan Losada's exit earlier this week.
One clarification: The below table is ranked by line movement, not by overall price. The overall MLS Cup favorites still haven't changed all that much, with LAFC (+500) leading the way, followed by Seattle Sounders FC and the Philadelphia Union (both at +900).
Team |
Opening odds |
Current odds |
Net movement |
---|---|---|---|
1) Houston Dynamo FC |
+10000 |
+5000 |
-5000 |
T2) CF Montreal |
+6600 |
+3300 |
-3300 |
T2) Austin FC |
+6600 |
+3300 |
-3300 |
4) FC Dallas |
+5000 |
+2500 |
-2500 |
T5) D.C. United |
+5000 |
+3300 |
-1700 |
T5) Real Salt Lake |
+5000 |
+3300 |
-1700 |
7) Nashville SC |
+2500 |
+1400 |
-1100 |
T8) Philadelphia Union |
+1600 |
+900 |
-700 |
T8) Portland Timbers |
+2500 |
+1800 |
-700 |
T10) Toronto FC |
+2500 |
+2000 |
-500 |
T10) LA Galaxy |
+1600 |
+1100 |
-500 |