Predictions and Best Bets for MLS Games on Wednesday, August 4, 2021

We have a whopping 12 MLS games to bet on this Wednesday, August 4, meaning 24 of the 27 Major League Soccer clubs are in action on the same day.

The standout matchups include Nashville’s trip to high-flying New England, Sporting KC’s visit of LAFC, and the second Florida Derby of the season between Orlando City and struggling Inter Miami.

Here is Wednesday’s MLS schedule in full.

Can the Revs maintain their eight-point lead at the top of the Eastern Conference? Could the Sounders lose for the fourth time in five games? And who will claim the Florida bragging rights?

I answer all those questions – and a whole lot more – as I take you through my MLS predictions for Wednesday, August 4. I also share my top MLS picks for Wednesday at the end of this post.

This matchup brings together two of the best teams in Major League Soccer this year.

The Revs find themselves eight points clear at the Eastern Conference summit, having won 11 of their 17 matches this season. Nashville, on the other hand, has lost just one of their 16 outings and sits third in the standings – nine points shy of New England.

Bruce Arena’s men came from behind to beat the Red Bulls 3-2 last weekend, extending their winning streak to four matches in the process. Meanwhile, the Boys in Gold drew 1-1 with Toronto – lengthening their unbeaten run to eight games.

With both sides in excellent form, I can see this one ending in a draw.

Columbus headed to Yankee Stadium on a run of just one loss in ten matches, but they ended up suffering a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of New York City on Saturday.

Although they enjoyed the majority of possession, Pedro Santos’ 97th-minute penalty proved to be the Crew’s only shot on target. The hosts finished the game with 24 attempts to their name, nine of which hit the target.

On the flip side, DC United was held to a goalless draw by a weak Cincinnati team last time out. Considering the Red-and-Black has won just one of their last four games, I’m backing Columbus to claim all three points on Wednesday.

All of a sudden, CF Montreal is on a three-match losing streak.

The Canadians only lost three of their opening 13 games this year, picking up six wins and four draws along the way. But following defeats to NYCFC, New England, and Inter Miami, they have slipped to seventh in the table.

As for the Five Stripes, they head to Quebec on an 11-match winless run. Six draws and five losses have come since their last victory – but that victory was against Montreal!

Atlanta has to win again at some point, right? After pushing Orlando all the way last weekend, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Georgia club returned to winning ways against off-form Montreal.

Despite racking up 25 shots on Sunday, Philadelphia was unable to beat Chicago at PPL Park. The hosts even played two-thirds of the game against ten men, yet they were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw.

The reigning Supporters’ Shield champs are still in a strong position, though. They have only lost two of their past 14 matches and remain fifth in the East – eight points clear of tenth-place Toronto.

That said, the Reds are unbeaten under interim head coach Javier Perez. Since Chris Armas’ departure, they have picked up two wins and three draws and suddenly look like a completely different team.

I can’t see the Union losing this one, but a resurgent TFC unit could easily come away from Philly with a share of the points.

In fairness to the Red Bulls, they gave a good account of themselves against New England on Saturday. However, Adam Buksa’s 91st-minute strike saw the Revs snatch all three points right at the death.

Gerhard Struber’s men haven’t won since July 3, with two draws and two losses coming since then. But Wednesday’s visit to Cincinnati provides them with an ideal opportunity to get back on track.

Cincy hasn’t tasted victory since June 26 and heads to Red Bull Arena on a six-match winless run.

Considering that Jaap Stam’s men could find themselves at the bottom of the pile by the end of play on Wednesday, I’m backing RBNY to win this one.

I think it’s about time that we start viewing New York City as a genuine Supporters’ Shield contender.

After hammering Orlando 5-0, the NYCFC beat Columbus 4-1 on Saturday. Having won each of their last three games – and six of their previous nine – the Boys in Blue are now fourth in the East with two games in hand over fifth-place Philly and first-place New England.

Chicago claimed a shock 1-1 draw with the U last time out, but they still sit second from bottom in the standings. Carrying the third-worst defensive record in the conference, the Fire has only managed to record three wins all year.

You probably won’t be surprised to learn that I expect New York City to run riot against Chicago on Wednesday.

The first Florida Derby of the season ended in a 2-1 victory in favor of Orlando. If the two sides’ recent form is anything to go by, the Lions should chalk up an even bigger win this time around.

Oscar Pareja’s men have only lost four games all year, with eight wins coming in their previous 14. As a result, they currently sit second in the Eastern Conference with the third-best offensive record in the division.

The Herons, on the other hand, are the lowest scorers in the East. Although a Gonzalo Higuain brace guided Inter Miami to a 2-1 victory over Montreal on Sunday, Phil Neville’s men have lost seven of their last ten outings and remain at the foot of the division.

Needless to say, Orlando should retain the Florida bragging rights at Exploria Stadium without any problems.

There is a lot to like about Austin FC. Yes, the MLS newcomers have only managed to win one of their previous 11 encounters. But recent narrow losses to LAFC (2-0), Seattle (1-0), and Colorado (1-0) underline their character.

Remarkably, Houston registered ANOTHER draw last time out. Believe it or not, Tab Ramos’ men have now tied seven of their last eight games, with their most recent victory coming all the way back on May 22.

Call me crazy, but I can see Austin beating their Texas rivals on Wednesday. Los Verdes crushed Portland 4-1 last month, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they overcome struggling Houston.

Are the Sounders in trouble? Well, they still sit two points clear at the top of the Western Conference. But an uncharacteristic run of three losses in four games has taken the shine off their outstanding start to the campaign.

Following defeats to Minnesota and SKC, Seattle suffered a shock 1-0 loss to San Jose last weekend. But when you consider that Brian Schmetzer’s side kicked off the season with a 13-match unbeaten streak, I don’t think they need to be too worried.

Although Dallas can take confidence from their last two results, they still trail Seattle by a mammoth 15 points. The Texans thrashed the Galaxy 4-0 before seeing off SKC 2-1 on Saturday, but they have only won four of their 16 matches this term.

I’m backing the Sounders to get back in their groove and secure a statement victory over Dallas.

It is becoming extremely difficult to predict the outcome of Portland’s games.

When the Timbers sealed back-to-back wins over Dallas and LAFC last month, they appeared to be heading in the right direction. But following defeats to Minnesota and LA Galaxy, they now find themselves two points outside the top seven.

Sure, the Earthquakes ended a dismal 11-match winless stretch by seeing off the Sounders last time out. But they are still in real trouble. Only two sides sit below them in the standings – and they also have the second-worst defensive record in the East.

In all honesty, this clash could go either way. There is no denying that Portland is the stronger side, though, so I’m siding with the Timbers.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t shocked by Sporting KC’s loss to Dallas on Saturday.

LAFC, on the other hand, heads into Wednesday’s clash on the back of consecutive 2-2 draws. Having lost to Portland before drawing with Vancouver and Minnesota, Bob Bradley’s men have slipped to fifth in the standings – seven points behind second-place SKC.

SKC claimed a 2-1 victory over LAFC at the end of June. I expect the two sides to produce another tight encounter this time around, but I’m confident that SKC will come out on top.

The past two games sum up the Galaxy’s season perfectly. Greg Vanney’s men suffered a damaging 4-0 thrashing to Dallas before crushing Portland 4-1 on Saturday. So, what will the league’s most inconsistent team do on Wednesday?

Carrying a record of 9-1-6, no team in the West has won more games than the Galaxy this year. But having lost six times, only a handful of sides have suffered more defeats.

On the flip side, Real Salt Lake (5-6-4) is currently enjoying a three-match unbeaten streak. In fact, they have only lost one of their previous five outings, with high-scoring wins over Vancouver (4-0) and Colorado (3-0) underlining their strength in attack.

With Rubio Rubin and Damir Kreilach in red-hot form, RSL could easily inflict a seventh defeat of the season on the Galaxy.

I have scoured the best online sportsbooks to find the top MLS picks for Wednesday’s games. If you like the look of my MLS predictions, why not check out my best bets, too?

Across the past ten games, only one team in the East has picked up more points than New York City. Having sealed six wins during that period, the Boys in Blue have claimed 18 points – twice as many as Chicago.

The Fire has only managed to win one of their previous ten outings, suffering five defeats in the process. With this in mind, odds of 1.95 for the NYCFC win seem too good to miss.

The matchup brings together two of the lowest-scoring sides in the East. While Austin has netted just ten goals in 15 matches, Houston has bagged 17 goals in 16 games.

Notably, 12 of Austin’s matches have produced under 2.5 goals this year, while ten of the Dynamos have dished up less than three goals. It goes without saying that this game is destined to be a low-scoring clash.

At the opposite end of the scoring spectrum, the LA Galaxy has been involved in countless dramatic matches this season. In fact, 13 of their 16 games have dished up over 2.5 goals.

RSL has been involved in plenty of high-scoring games, too, with ten of their 15 outings producing three or more goals. Either team could win this match, so backing the over 2.5 goals market makes perfect sense here.