MLS Matchday 4 Preview and Free Picks

The weekend is here, and the fourth Matchday of the MLS season is set to take place, with two teams holding a perfect record at the top of each conference.

In the East conference, Philadelphia Union will look to maintain their unbeaten streak while hosting Nashville, while in the West conference, the Vancouver Whitecaps will visit FC Dallas.

Top favorite Inter Miami faces a tough challenge on the road against Atlanta United. On the other hand, the reigning champions, Los Angeles Galaxy, will try to climb out of the bottom of the table and secure their first points when they travel to face the Portland Timbers.

MLS Weekly Picks Betting Odds

MLS Matchday 4 – FC Dallas vs. Vancouver Whitecaps

FC Dallas has been on a downward trend, starting strong with a 1-2 win over Houston Dynamo, then drawing 3-3 with Colorado Rapids, and finally suffering a 1-3 home loss to Chicago Fire last weekend. They have both scored and conceded in every match. The Texas team lost several key players in this market, and it seems that the arrival of Luciano Acosta hasn’t been enough to make up for it.

Vancouver Whitecaps have been the tournament’s biggest surprise, leading the Western Conference with three wins in three games (against Portland Timbers, LA Galaxy, and Montréal), scoring eight goals and conceding just two. Additionally, they eliminated Saprissa in the CONCACAF Champions Cup and earned a 1-1 draw in Canada against Monterrey in the first leg of the tournament’s Round of 16.

Dallas vs. Whitecaps Betting Pick: Draw

MLS Matchday 4 – Philadelphia Union vs. Nashville

Philadelphia Union is the best team in the tournament so far, securing victories over Orlando City (2-4), FC Cincinnati (4-1), and New England Revolution (0-2). Tai Baribo is the league’s top scorer with five goals, all scored in the first two matches. They are unbeaten in their last seven encounters against this opponent, with four wins, having only lost their first-ever game against them in 2021.

Nashville secured their first win of the season last weekend by defeating Portland Timbers 2-0, with goals from Andy Najar and Ahmed Qasem. Both players arrived this season as key reinforcements, especially the 21-year-old Swedish talent for whom the club paid $4.3 million.

Philadelphia Union vs. Nashville Betting Pick: Philadelphia Union

MLS Matchday 4 – Portland Timbers vs. LA Galaxy

A rough start for Portland, with one win against Austin (1-0) and two losses to Vancouver (1-4) and Nashville (2-0). However, it’s worth noting that they played with a man down against the Canadians from the 11th minute after Kamal Miller was sent off. The club made a significant investment of $15 million in Kevin Kelsy, David Pereira da Costa, and Joao Ortiz, but they have yet to perform as expected.

As for the Los Angeles Galaxy, it was expected that their season wouldn’t be great due to key departures, but not this bad. The reigning champions have suffered three straight losses to San Diego FC (0-2), Vancouver Whitecaps (2-1), and St. Louis (0-3), along with another defeat against Costa Rica’s Herediano in the CONCACAF Champions Cup (1-0). They have scored just one goal so far, a worrying sign for a team that lost much of its offensive power and has yet to bring in reinforcements to make up for it.

Portland Timbers vs. LA Galaxy Betting Pick: Draw

MLS Matchday 4 – Atlanta vs. Inter Miami

Atlanta United started the tournament well with a 3-2 victory over Montréal but then suffered a 2-0 loss to Charlotte and played to a goalless draw against NY Red Bulls last weekend. Miguel Almirón, who returned after six years at Newcastle, needs to take the team on his shoulders, while Emmanuel Latte Lath made an impact with two goals in his debut but hasn’t shown the same dominance in recent matches.

Inter Miami remains the top contender. After a 2-2 draw against NY City in their opener, they secured wins over Houston Dynamo (1-4) and Charlotte (1-0) last weekend, with Tadeo Allende scoring the lone goal as Messi watched from the bench. One concern for the Florida team is their disciplinary record, as they have had a player sent off in every match so far—the latest being goalkeeper Oscar Ustari. It remains to be seen whether Rocco Ríos Novo or Drake Callender, injured last weekend, will start in goal. Interestingly, Messi has yet to score in MLS, while Luis Suárez leads the league in assists (4).

Atlanta vs. Inter Miami Betting Pick: Inter Miami