Just look at American football. The Monday after the Super Bowl is played, sportsbooks will already have the odds for the winner of the next Super Bowl. The same is true for Major League Baseball and the NBA. These leagues have been around for a longtime, and they’ve earned the respect of the Vegas lines makers. MLS has not.

It’s true that in America people don’t bet on the soccer as much as they do other sports, but maybe the public would be more inclined to bet on MLS if sportsbooks actually had odds for the championship all year long. I know I would be.

Because this site is focused on betting MLS, I have a vesting interest in growing interest in the league. Over the next couple of weeks, I’m going to look at different ways the league can grow. And I’ll continue to look for the odds on the 2013 MLS Cup. As soon as I find some, I’ll post them here.

Below we have the odds to win the 2012 MLS CUP (provided by Bovada):

Team to Lift the Trophy (including penalty kicks)

Odds for the Game

Alternate total odds

If you need help reading the odds, please check out our page about betting on soccer.

This game will be broadcast live on ESPN, Telefutura, TSN and RDS. You can also catch the game on SiriusXM FC 94, and online at Watch ESPN. Even though the match will not be on major network, ratings are expected to be better than last year when the MLS Cup was held on a Sunday night.

We expect this to be the most bet MLS Cup in history. Interest in the league has grown, and it now boasts the 3rd highest attendance of any sports league in America, beating both the NBA and NHL. An ESPN survey at the beginning of the season also found that professional soccer is the 2nd most popular sport in America for 12-24 year-olds. (You have to be 21 or over to bet this game in Vegas.)

If you’re betting on the MLS Cup this year, good luck! We would love to hear who you are backing in the comments below.

“That doesn’t mean we’re going to be as good as the Premier League, it doesn’t mean we’re going to be able to have the Rapids play against their partner Arsenal and be able to beat them on a regular basis. It means there are four or five leagues around the world that are respected on the quality side of being the best, and we believe in 10 years we should be able to create that.” Garber was quoted as saying.

It might seem like a big goal to some, but Major League Soccer is well on its way. MLS average game attendance in the United States already exceeds that of the NBA and NHL, and as we pointed out a month ago, professional soccer is the 2nd most popular sport in America for people between the ages of 12 and 24. The leagues average attendance has already passed that of Holland and France which boast established leagues in countries where soccer is the most popular sport.

Real Salt Lake at FC Dallas

This week the Wednesday Night Major League Soccer game features FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake. This could make for a low scoring match as each team’s top scorer will not play. For Dallas that is Blas Perez, and it’s striker Fabian Espindola for RSL. Possibly throwing things in Dallas’s favor will be that Real Salt Lake will also be missing it’s top defender Jamison Olave due to another red card suspension.

Dallas is coming off of a bad road trip. They are 0-3 in their last three games, but this team excels at home. RSL is 0-8-1 at Dallas, so a bet on FC could be good. Tonight’s odds are:

Unfortunately this game is not nationally televised, but if you are in the Dallas or Salt Lake area you can catch it on Fox Sports SW Plus (Dallas) or KUCW-30 (Salt Lake).

You can check out the MLS TV listings for all games in your area.

Good Luck!

Staying with the Red Bulls, Thierry Henry was named MLS Player of the Month for March 2012. You can check out the highlights below.

Power Rankings

ESPN’s new Power Rankings are out, and I think I prefer them to the rankings from MLSSoccer.com. Both site’s have Sporting Kansas City at the top rightfully so. Sporting is 4-0-0 so far this year, and they take on the Galaxy this weekend. It should be a good match to gage the quality of both teams.

ESPN ranks the remaining top 5 as the Seattle Sounders (2), Real Salt Lake (3), New York Redbulls (4) and the Houston Dynamo at 5. MLS has the next 4 as the Real Salt Lake (2), San Jose Earthquake (3), Seattle Sounders (4) and the Dynamo at 5. Of course both rankings are just a barometer for the league. It’s early in the season and anything could happen. One significant injury at this point could change a team’s entire season.

MLS Odds

There are 7 MLS games this Saturday. We’ve already mentioned the match between Sporting KC and the LA Galaxy. This is probably one of the more interesting games this weekend. The Galaxy won the MLS Cup last season, but has started off at 1-2-0 this year. Kansas City is off to a 4-0-0 start and is actually favored in this match. You can watch the game live on ESPN starting a 4pm EST.

Below are the odds for the rest of Saturday’s games. Good Luck!

Montreal Impact vs Toronto FC

Columbus Crew vs Red Bull New York

San Jose Earthquakes vs Vancouver Whitecaps

DC United vs Seattle Sounders

Real Salt Lake vs Colorado Rapids

Portland Timbers vs Chivas USA

It should be no surprise that Real Salt Lake are big favorites over the Impact in tomorrow night’s game. It’s Montreal’s first year in the league, and after 4 matches they’re still looking for their first MLS win. Odds are they won’t get it against Real Salt Lake who looks like one of the best teams in the league.

Lastly, if you still haven’t seen Jimmy Conrad’s YouTube “Open Letter to UFC’s Dana White” it’s posted below. If you want, you can contact White directly at his Twitter account here. It looks like he’s been getting a lot of tweets today…

Good Luck.

#1 Give soccer balls

If you have children and you are reading this, odds are your kids will be MLS fans. But what about all the other children you know? Your relatives, friends, co-workers and neighbors may all at some point have new little bundles of joy in their lives, and these babies know nothing about soccer. You have a chance to change this! You can buy that child his or her first soccer ball, and bring soccer into that person’s life.

A good friend of mine does exactly this. He buys every newborn in his circle of friends and family a size 1 soccer ball (the smallest they make). They are cheap and the perfect size for any baby. You can buy an size 1 soccer ball at Walmart for $4.99. And because it’s only $5, it’s an easy gift for anyone from close friends to acquaintances.

#2 Watch a game with a friend

Most Americans have never watched a MLS match. You can help change that. You can invite a friend over to watch a game, or better yet you can take that person to a game.

Soccer is the most popular game in the world for a reason. People like it! As more and more people are exposed to MLS, I have no doubt that the league will gain more fans.

#3 Go out for a match

Does your local sports bar carry MLS games? If so, go out, watch the match and support that bar!

If your local bar usually doesn’t show MLS, you can help change that. Most sports bars will show any game people want to watch. If you’re in a bar and you want to watch the MLS game, just ask. I’ve done this several times, and they’ve always put the game on one of the TVs.

#4 Record every MLS game

My wife is a big Conan O’Brien fan. When he first took over the Tonight Show his rating weren’t good. In order to support him, she set our DVR to record every show even if she never planned on watching them. We still do this. We’re only one household, but whether we’re home or not, our TV always turns to Conan when it comes on. And we do this for MLS too.

Even if two teams that I have no interest in watching are playing on ESPN, I’ll record it knowing full well that I’ll just delete it later. I want the league to have better ratings, and I’m doing my part. If just 10,000 people recorded matches that they never planned on watching, and they did this for a whole season (like me) I think it could make an impact. If 100,000 people did this, I’m sure it would.

So if you have a DVR consider setting a pass to record every MLS game. It’s a free and easy way to support the league.

#5 Call a radio show

Local sports radio shows talk local sports. If you have an MLS team in your area, call your local sports radio to talk about. And if you have satellite radio you can call one of their soccer shows too. One of my favorites is The Football Show on Sirius 92.

#6 Bet on soccer

I’m a gambler. I have never watched a WNBA game, but I’ve bet on them. I can say the same for a few Eastern European soccer leagues as well. I grew up playing American football, but I won’t watch a college football game unless I have money on it. I also run a website titled “Bet MLS Soccer”. I know a few things about sports betting…

The NFL will never admit this, but one of the reasons that it’s so popular is that people love to bet on it. Walk into any Las Vegas sportsbook on a Sunday during football season, and you will see every chair filled and people standing, watching the games. Then ask any bookie in America what sport people bet the most, and he will tell you the NFL.

Gambling has definitely drawn people to the NFL, and it could bring fans to MLS too. Some people just love to bet on games, and it doesn’t much matter what sport they’re betting on. The more people who bet on MLS, the more prominence the betting community will put on the games. This in turn will lead to more people betting on and watching the league. Local bookies could start taking MLS action, and the next thing you know you’d be able to watch MLS matches in every sports bar across the country. It’s possible.

#7 Talk about MLS

If you are interested in Major League Soccer, and you’re passionate about it, it will come across when you talk about. People will become interested, and want to learn more about the league. They will become fans and talk about it to others. Its popularity will grow, and professional soccer will become one of the most followed sports in America.

So talk to friends about the league. Tweet about it. Share articles and news on Facebook. Start a blog. Do whatever you would normally do for something that you’re passionate about, and you will help grow this sport in America.

If you have comments or any other ideas about how to Major League Soccer, please leave us a note in the comment section below. Thanks for reading!

Yesterday was a tough day for Red Bull fans. With a loss to Real Salt Lake, New York has started the season 0-2 after falling to what Thierry Henry called “the best team in the league by a distance”.

And today was a tough day for the Red Bull company. Red Bull’s creator Chaleo Yoovidhya just passed away in Thailand. With an estimated net worth valued at $5 billion Forbes magazine had him ranked as the 205th wealthiest man in the world.

Some great news came out of Canada yesterday. The Montreal Impact’s first home game drew a record crowd of 58,912 fans. The match ended in a draw, but it’s great to see Quebec supporting their new MLS team!

San Jose Eathquakes vs Houston Dynamo

Sporting KC vs New England Revolution

FC Dallas vs Portland Timbers

Real Salt Lake vs New York Red Bulls

Seattle Sounders vs Toronto FC

Chivas USA vs Vancouver Whitcaps

Philadelphia Union vs Colorado Rapids

Los Angeles Galaxy vs DC United

If you are looking for odds on the Montreal Impact vs the Chicago Fire, we did a whole write up on that game yesterday including prop bets. Check it out!

The Montreal Impact also just signed striker Italian veteran Bernardo Corradi. Unfortunately he can’t play until his international transfer papers come in, so it’s unlikely that Corradi will take the field this weekend. He should be starting as soon as he’s cleared to play.

Impact fans will be rooting for their team, but the sportsbooks are giving the edge to the Chicago. Right now the Fire are slight road favorites to win this match. The odds are below.

There are also a lot of proposition bets available on this game. Below we list 9 different prop bets that you can bet online. If yuo are looking for a good online sportsbook, all these bets can be found at Bovada.

Montreal Impact vs Chicago Fire – Half Time Result

Montreal Impact vs Chicago Fire – Half Time / Full Time

Montreal Impact vs Chicago Fire – Correct Score

Montreal Impact vs Chicago Fire – First Team to Score

Montreal Impact vs Chicago Fire – Last Team to Score

Montreal Impact vs Chicago Fire – Over/Under 0.5 Goals

Montreal Impact vs Chicago Fire – Over/Under 1.5 Goals

Montreal Impact vs Chicago Fire – Over/Under 3.5 Goals

Montreal Impact vs Chicago Fire – Over/Under 4.5 Goals

Every gambler should be able to find at least 1 bet that interests them for this game. Of course if betting on these two teams doesn’t interest you, there are eight other matches to wager on this weekend.

Sunday’s featured match on NBC is between the Philadelphia Union and the Colorado Rapids. The Union lost their home opener to Portland this past Monday while the Rapids beat Columbus on the road so far this year. We don’t have the odds for this game yet, but we would be shocked if Colorado wasn’t decent favorites. We’re mentioning this game now, because it’s televised nationally and therefore it will be one of the most heavily bet game this weekend.

We’ll be back tomorrow with an update and odds for all of this weekend’s games.

Good Luck and thanks for reading.

Quincy Amarikwa scores goal and finishes with the FIFA dead fish