Is Major League Soccer the place for goals?

Major League Soccer, or MLS to its friends, is now in its 31st season, with the number of teams tripling from ten to 30 since its inaugural campaign back in 1996.

The competition has always been able to attract superstars, albeit mostly towards the end of their glittering careers, but it is not short of supporters either, with average crowds hovering just above 20,000 for most of the last decade.

Whenever I find myself scrolling through the Major League Soccer scores, I am always taken aback by just how goal-laden many of the games seem to be, but is this a true reflection of reality?

In order to find out, we’ve taken a look back through the results from the 2026 campaign to date (up to and including matches played on Thursday 20th August UK time), focusing on MLS betting markets that revolve around goals.

OVER/UNDER 0.5 GOALS

There have been 299 matches played so far this season in Major League Soccer, with a staggering 286 (95.65%) of them producing over 0.5 goals. What’s more, 19 of the 30 clubs have not featured in a 0-0 draw on their own patch.

In the unlikely event that you are considering betting on a goalless draw in the correct score market, then Minnesota United and Philadelphia Union are the teams to target on home soil, with both managing two such results in ten matches.

OVER/UNDER 1.5 GOALS

Interestingly, there has been little let up when it comes to MLS games delivering over 1.5 goals, with this being the case in 241 (80.60%) out of 299 fixtures during the current campaign.

In fact, six teams have only featured in home matches containing two goals or more, with these being Inter Miami (8), New York City (11), Portland Timbers (10), Real Salt Lake (10), Seattle Sounders (9) and Toronto (11).

BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE (BTTS)

So far in 2026, 186 (62.21%) of the 299 Major League Soccer games have served up goals at both ends. For reference, of the ten strongest European leagues based upon UEFA coefficients, only the Dutch Eredivisie (62.75%) delivered a higher percentage in this category across the 2025/26 campaign.

If you are looking for reliable sources of both teams to score tips, then Toronto (11/11), Portland Timbers (9/10) and Inter Miami (7/8) are the teams to target on their own patch, particularly if this is not reflected in the MLS odds.

OVER/UNDER 2.5 GOALS

Roughly speaking, you would expect the number of matches containing over 2.5 goals and under 2.5 goals to be broadly similar over the course of a league campaign. That has not been the case in Major League Soccer so far this season, however, with 183 (61.20%) of the 299 fixtures serving up three goals or more.

Providence Park, home of Portland Timbers, has been the venue to target for accurate over 2.5 goals predictions, with nine of ten games reaching this threshold. At the other end of the spectrum, eight of ten Minnesota United matches on their own patch have served up a maximum of two goals.

OVER/UNDER 3.5 GOALS

It is far from the norm for matches to deliver over 3.5 goals, so it is a clear sign of the excitement on offer in Major League Soccer that 115 (38.46%) of the 299 games played in the competition this season have done exactly that.

Interestingly, eight of the 30 participating clubs have been involved in more home games of this type than not. Chief amongst their number are table-toppers Nashville, with seven of their ten fixtures at Geodis Park delivering a minimum of four goals.

SUMMARY

If proof were needed that Major League Soccer is capable of serving up some absolute bangers, then check out these seven extraordinary results from the current campaign:

The competition is flourishing, from an attacking perspective at least, with the likes of Robert Lewandowski (Chicago Fire), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Luis Suarez (Inter Miami), Marco Reus (LA Galaxy), Son Heung-min (Los Angeles FC) and Antoine Griezmann (Orlando City) all now playing their football across the pond.

There was a time when European audiences would turn their nose up at football in the USA, but, with many fans now growing disaffected by the set-piece driven product being served up closer to home, the promise of goals galore may well have them revising their thinking.