Week 3 MLS Picks
Last week wasn’t one to write home about, but it was a significant improvement over the Week 1 disaster. We cashed our pick’em entry and four of the five money lines, however the goalscorer picks (which were our bread and butter last season) are an astounding 0/26 on the young season.
The official league injury report for Saturday’s games came out Friday afternoon, let’s dive into the Week 3 picks.
Pick’Em Entry of the week
Each match week, we’ll have a pick’em entry for you to tail if your heart desires. This week we’re playing on Underdog Fantasy. If you want to play along with us at Underdog, you can sign up today using this link. Let’s get to the board and build a winner!
Two of our three picks in this week’s entry are from the early games on Saturday afternoon, so if you miss lock on those make sure to check out our secondary options listed below for some more Week 3 MLS action.
We’ll begin with the opening match of the weekend and head to Yankee Stadium where the Pigeons of NYCFC are hosting a reeling Orlando City SC side coming in off of back-to-back home losses to start the season. While we think the home side will end up victorious in this one, Martin Ojeda’s shots attempted line feels pretty juicy. The 27-year-old Argentinian averaged 3.53 shot attempts per 90 last season and was over this number in 19 of 30 starts in 2025. He was also over in nine of 16 road matches and was a big reason why Orlando led MLS in shot attempts per game. He’s picked up right where he left off to begin 2026, recording seven total shots across two games and going over in both. It’s always smart to consider the significant home field advantage in this league, but at a 1.07x multiplier, Ojeda’s shot prop is one of the better ones on the board this weekend.
This will mark the first time that Lionel Messi has played a road match against DC United in his MLS tenure. The 2026 season for Inter Miami began with three concerning halves of play before a four goal explosion in the second half against in-state rivals Orlando City on Sunday night. Messi was unsurprisingly the leader of that comeback effort and due to Miami being the road team in Week 3, we get his shots attempted line at an advantageous four and a half. Messi has averaged 5.51 shot attempts per 90 across his 4,463 MLS minutes in Miami and was at 5.84 shot attempts per 90 in 2025, going over this number in 20 of his 26 starts. We’ll take him to exceed that mark again on Saturday in the nation’s capital.
Then we’ll close out the Week 3 entry with an old reliable in Kansas City and say hi to John Pulskamp for the first time in 2026. While Sporting KC was able to play Columbus Crew to a 2-2 draw last Saturday night, they’ll welcome the reigning top seed in the Western Conference to town in San Diego FC. Pulskamp allowed two or more goals in 23 of 34 games last season and has done so in each of the first two games in 2026. In fact, over his last 42 MLS games dating back to the 2024 season, Pulskamp allows well over two goals per 90 minutes. San Diego on the other hand is -190 at the books to score two or more in this spot and are still the team that recorded two or more goals in 14 of 18 away matches (including playoffs) last season.
Using the standard payout selection (and the 40% soccer profit boost token dropped in users accounts on Friday) on Underdog, this 3-pick entry will payout a prize of 7.38x your entry fee if successful.
We’ve added some additional plays that can be substituted in place of the props given above if you miss lock for one of those games, want to make additional entries or one of the given options doesn’t start. The additional plays this week are listed in order of preference and we’re fine using these props in any entry.
Maxime Crepeau O 1.5 goals allowed (0.86x)
Chris Brady O 1.5 goals allowed (0.86x)
Rafael Cabral O 1.5 goals allowed
Jayden Nelson O 1.5 shot attempts (1.01x)
James Pantemis O 1.5 goals allowed (0.94x)
Sean Johnson O 2.5 goals allowed (1.25x)
Brad Stuver U 1.5 goals allowed (0.94x)
Kristoffer Velde O 2.5 shots attempted (0.85x)
Gabriel Pec O 1.5 shots on target (0.99x)
Results
Last Week: +6.32 U
Season: +5.32 U
Week 3 Picks
Inter Miami To Win + O 2.5
+115
Even though three of the four halves Inter Miami has played early in the season have been uninspiring, the last 45 minutes we saw of them are enough for us to say “crisis averted”. Coming off a four-goal second half on Sunday night, Messi and Co. now travel to the nation’s capital to take on DC United. With the juice a little too heavy for us to take them to win outright, we’ll pair the win with the over two and a half total to take this pick to plus money. Inter Miami games saw at least three goals scored in 33 of 40 MLS matches last season including playoffs.
Atlanta United
ML +100
To be clear, the Five Stripes have made fools out of those who believed they’d turn things around this season after two weeks of play, us included. But they get a chance to steady the ship in their home opener on Saturday against visiting Real Salt Lake. The visitors arrive to the ATL without a significant contingent of starters, including out designations for guys like Diego Luna, Victor Olatunji, Emeka Eneli and Deandre Yedlin, on top of forward Ari Piol tearing his achilles last week. Atlanta may end up being a disappointment again this season, but we’re getting them at even money in their house against a beat up side traveling cross-country for this game. Atlanta recorded 71.4% of their points at home last season and four of their five wins. We’ll take them to get on the board this week with three points.
Nashville SC
ML -135
We’ve spoken a lot on the show about how good we think this Nashville team can be, all the way back to early January on Episode 279 when ZG called them “the best value on the board” to win MLS Cup at 35-1. Now this isn’t the game on paper you may think would be the spot to push the chips in against a very viable Minnesota United side, but one key absence should significantly hamper what the Loons like to do. Michael Boxall will miss this game, taking away both the Loons best defender and their long throw artist on set pieces. No Boxall should make the Nashville front line lick their lips at the chance to pummel goalkeeper Drake Callender with shots all night long. With the young Warren Madrigal finding ways to fit in amongst the “big three” of Hany Mukhtar, Sam Surridge and Cristian Espinoza, Nashville has come out strong in both MLS play and CCC. We’ll back them to hold serve at home.
San Diego FC
ML -130
Our thoughts here don’t differ much from why we were so excited to get John Pulskamp into the pick’em entry this week. Despite the 2-2 draw Sporting KC managed against Columbus Crew last week, we still view SKC as the worst team in the Western Conference. Now they welcome last year’s top seed in the West to town, a team that blanked Sporting at home 2-0 last season. Even with CCC looming on Wednesday, we don’t expect heavy rotation from the visitors and will gladly take them to nab a road victory this weekend.
LAFC To WIn + NYRB To Win
Parlay +104
We don’t give out parlays often, but this one feels quite strong. LAFC should dispatch of FC Dallas at home with relative ease on Saturday night and are the biggest home favorites of Week 3 at the books. Pairing them with Red Bulls to win on Sunday afternoon against visiting CF Montreal is tasty. Montreal has looked atrocious through two weeks, conceding five to San Diego in the opener (three after going down a man) before giving up two goals to Chicago Fire on the road after the Fire went down a man last week. New head coach Michael Bradley has the “Baby Bulls” humming out of the gates. Taking these two teams to get the job done at home provides us with a slight plus money pick to close out the match day.
Goal Scorers
Every week we’ll pick a few of our favorite goal scoring options in the betting market. Here are the Week 3 shouts.
Martin Ojeda +275
German Berterame +145
Timo Werner +265
Phillip Zinckernagel +275
Emmanuel Latte Lath +175
Facundo Torres +310
Jayden Nelson +475
Gabriel Pec +220
Kristoffer Velde +360
Results
Last Week: -5.8 U
2026 Season: -22.03 U
