MLS Parlay of the Week | Week 12

It's always a fun time when Rivalry Week comes around during the MLS season. Our USA Legal Betting experts scanned this week's competitive slate for the best bets across the top soccer betting apps. There is value to be had in backing a side within Nashville vs. Charlotte, New England vs. New York Red Bulls, and Philadelphia vs. Orlando. We threw all three of our picks into a juicy parlay to help us earn a very nice return on our investment. Read on to see how we're playing this weekend's MLS Parlay of the Week!

Nashville SC +0.5 (-130) | BetMGM

To say Nashville SC has underperformed in the early goings would be an understatement. The team is just 2-3-5, which puts them at the bottom of the Eastern Conference in 12th place. The road has been particularly unkind as Gary Neil Smith’s bunch are 0-2-1 away from their home turf. Their only win in the last six matches overall came against CF Montréal who appear to be even worse off in the young season.

However, all of this gives us value to bet on Nashville to cover a small spread. Sam Surridge missed a few games, severely limiting his squad’s attack. In his first game back last week, Surridge netted a hat trick, propelling his team to a 4-1 victory over Montréal. With its star player back in action, Nashville took 19 shots on target with an impressive 3.9 xG.

Charlotte is coming off a quality 2-0 win over Portland, but let’s be honest, everyone is beating Portland right now. Currently 5th in the East, Charlotte’s success may be a bit overrated, especially considering their poor performances at home. Dean Smith’s side have an xG rate of just 1.17 in Charlotte, placing them at the bottom 10 in this vital category.

Let’s get ahead of Nashville’s turnaround by taking them to cover on the road.

New York Red Bulls Moneyline (-175) | BetMGM

If you look from afar at the Red Bulls recent results, placing a bet on them seems outright foolish. New York hasn’t won in its last four MLS matches, dropping them down the standings to fourth place. The Red Bulls mitigated disaster by drawing in four of those games, only losing to Inter Miami CF, albeit in humiliating fashion with a score of 6-2. That dramatic loss, however, helps us gain a nice edge over the odds for NY to cover the spread against New England.

First year coach Sandro Schwarz has his team playing much better at home than on the road. Its defense is firmly in the top 10, limiting opponents to less than half a goal per game when they enter Red Bull Arena. In their two recent home draws, both matches saw a Red Bulls player get carded off, leaving them short-handed and fighting for ties.

New England has been anything but impressive this year. The Revolution sit dead last in the East standings, winning just 2 of its first 10 matches. The Revs haven’t really kept things close, either. Caleb Porter’s squad has only covered the spread once when listed as the underdog.

Over 2.5 Goals (-140) | BetMGM

Orlando and Philadelphia have both proven difficult to project so far this season. On paper, Orlando has one of the best sides in the league. That said, defense has been a major issue for the team out of Florida, failing to secure a clean sheet in five straight games. Four of those five games saw both teams score, the one outlier occurring last week when Orlando failed to find the net against Cincinnati.

Philly, meanwhile, has played in five straight games that contained at least three total goals. The Union haven’t kept a clean sheet in all five and to make matters much worse, starting goalkeeper Andre Blake is out with an injury. While this makes the team much more vulnerable to attack, the Union offense should be able to find the net at least once, if not a handful of times. Orlando’s defense has allowed at least two goals to its opponent in every away fixture this season.

Looking at the recent head-to-head matches, goals have flooded in this series. Six of these two teams’ last seven matchups have resulted in more than 2.5 goals. Both teams have scored in nine of the last 10, as Orlando hasn’t ended with a clean sheet versus its conference foe in the last 5 years.