The 2022 MLS (Major League Soccer) season kicks off on Saturday, Feb. 26th and runs until Sunday, Oct. 9th. Three weeks of playoff games then follow with the MLS Cup Final being scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 5th.
This is the 27th season for the league and it will feature 28 teams. The Eastern and Western Conference each contains 14 clubs as Charlotte FC enters the fray for its inaugural campaign and Nashville SC moves to the Western Conference from the Eastern Division. In addition, Nashville opens the season with a seven-game road trip with the club’s new Fairgrounds Stadium set to be officially opened on May 1st.
New York City FC captured the MLS Cup in 2021 with a win over the Portland Timbers while the New England Revolution took the Supporters’ Shield as the top team during the regular season.
There have been several coaching changes during the offseason as the Houston Dynamo sacked Tab Ramos and replaced him with Paulo Nagamura; Los Angeles FC and Bob Bradley parted ways with Bradley taking over at Toronto FC from Javier Perez and Steve Cherundolo taking the Los Angeles vacancy; The Chicago Fire announced that Frank Klopas has been replaced by Ezra Hendrickson while FC Dallas replaced Marco Ferruzzi with Nico Estevez and Pat Noonan relieves Tyrone Marshall at FC Cincinnati.
Each of the league’s 28 teams will play a 34-game schedule with 17 matches at home and 17 on the road. Clubs will play squads in their own conference twice each as well as eight games against sides from the opposing conference.
The top seven sides in each conference qualify for the playoffs with the conference leader receiving a bye in the first round of the postseason.
If one or more teams in a conference are tied on points at the end of the regular season, the tie-breaking process is as follows: 1) total points; 2) total wins; 3) goal difference; 4) goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal difference; 7) total away goals 8) home goal difference; 9) total home goals; 10) a coin toss; 11) the drawing of lots.
The second to seventh-place teams in each conference play in the opening round of the playoffs with the winners moving on to the Conference Semifinals along with top team in the conference. The winners of the semifinals then meet in the Conference Finals with the victors meeting in the MLS Cup.
All playoff series are just one-game knockout affairs with the higher seeded team playing at home. If a game ends in a tie it will be decided by 30 minutes of extra time, which is divided into two 15-minute halves. If the score is still level, it will then be decided by a penalty shootout. The highest-seeded team left in the postseason has the benefit of playing the MLS Cup Final at home.
Heading into the 2022 MLS campaign, the oddsmakers at bet365 currently list the New England Revolution and the Seattle Sounders as co-favorites to hoist the MLS Cup in November at +600. Los Angeles FC is next at +900 followed by New York City FC and Sporting Kansas City at +1000. Charlotte FC, the new kids on the block, are listed at + 5,000 along with Inter Miami FC and CF Montreal while the longshots are the Chicago Fire, Austin FC and the Houston Dynamo at +10000 each.
You can also wager on other outcomes such as the league’s top goalscorer for 2022 as well as numerous bets for each individual game, including live in-play betting.